[OPEN, MINGLE] 'cause not all who wander are lookin' for the exit

[pocketspa]

Who: Taako, Lup, perhaps you-- invited or not?
What: Taako's been trying to think of a good way to have a party now that ice hell is over, and the disappearance of his sister's husband and his brother in law sounds like as good a time as any to start denying bad feelings and cheering up his goddamn twin.
Where: Around Horny House, aka Imported House 5-1
When: April 11th
Warnings: Alcohol, food, some stupidity most likely.

The night of the 10th, anyone who's friends Taako or Lup-- especially if you're friends with Lup-- will get a text from Taako. It reads:

hey
come over tomorrow at noon
i took down a totally massive animal and im having a barbecue
also bring a gift for lup
dont tell her dont ask questions dont care what it is just do it
your prize is a significant amount of roasted whateverthefuck that i have tested to be sure it will not kill you
also if you dont show up im going to come get you so see ya then

And sure enough, the next day, behind horny house is a large pit filled with rocks and... something or other spit roasted over it. Whatever it is happens to be very, very big, but you can probably see the smoke before you see the animal. Most of the tables in the house have been dragged out onto the lawn around it, covered in mismatched cups, containers of water and plates of fruit, and something lovingly labelled 'SPACE JUICE (CONTAINS ALCOHOL)' that is being served in a large punch bowl. It's bright blue and smells like lighter fluid, so it's pretty unlikely you needed to be warned that there's alcohol in it. One table simply has a sign that says 'PUT GIFTS HERE', which is pretty self explanatory. There also seems to be music coming from discernibly Somewhere, though it's completely unclear as to where-- seeing as the guy running it is magic, it might actually just be coming from the sun. None of that is especially important right now. What is important is this:

Everyone here is legally required to go care about Lup, or Taako's going to punch you in the head. And not even with magic- just with his little fists. So do it, punk.

OOC: This is a MINGLE LOG- please put up toplevels and tag around! While Taako had people he invited, it's pretty damn easy to see this going down, and if you play by the rules and say nice things to his very sad sister he won't kick you out. Have fun!!!

Comments

[braveoff]

[ Drake is here for Lup -- a party's great and all, but he can't taste the food, isn't looking to get smashed, and doesn't have a dance partner at the moment. No, he's sitting on the outskirts of the party just people-watching, a glass in his hand that he's barely sipping from. Occasionally scanning the jungle around them, making sure that everybody's safe as is his way. And if his eyes linger on Lup to see if she needs a rescue or just a break from all this, well. He'd admit it. He's worried.

Kate's approach is a surprise, her words even more so. Part of him wants to ask if she's really talking to him, especially as he's avoided her after their most recent awkward encounter, but... sure, he'll bite. ]

Hey Kate. What did you have in mind?

[dedikated]

( In her own way, Kate is too. It's an unusual thing to see Lup quite like this, but hovering over her wouldn't help. Besides, after enough beer, one begins to think that drinking the violently blue punch might actually be a good idea. And one gets... a little tipsy, to put it politely.

The city moves on, as it has from their last encounter, buried under so many happenings since that it feels a million years ago. She's pleasantly buzzed and not responsible for killing Drake, or trying to attack him, or simply being a dick to him.

So. You know. Easy target for her restless need to do something. )

You dance?

( Whatever this song is, and however it's being played, it's got a good enough beat that she wants to move. )

[braveoff]

[ The question gets a blink of surprise, then a grin. It's been awhile, honestly, since he'd been to a dance night at the Speakeasy... usually he went to those with Lup, go figure, but they weren't the norm and the music tended to loop. Whatever Taako's conjured is all new to him, and he has to admit dancing might be fun. Nobody else is, yet, but maybe they could start it off. ]

I do, yeah. Didn't expect that, though.

[ He considers the glass in his hand for a moment, then just downs what's left in it in one swallow and stands up, leaving it behind on a nearby table. ]

Where should we establish the dance floor?

[dedikated]

( With Lup out of commission (and understandably so; if anything, Lup is holding it together better than Kate did when Ignis disappeared), someone has to provide the entertainment. Kate didn't quite imagine it would be her, but...

Well. Maybe a distraction in the shape of a dancefloor is what people need.

Mostly, Kate's just restless and uncomfortable, with enough alcohol in her system that she no longer feels conscious of standing out. )

Why not?

( Because of the circumstances? If anything, maybe the distraction from seeing the woman of the hour might do Lup some good. She seemed distant enough on the top of the Colosseum, and Kate knows from too much personal experience that, sometimes, when you lose someone in this city, the last thing you want is person upon person looking at you with sadness in their eyes.

She gestures to a spot ahead, just far enough from the cooking meat that people are unlikely to knock it over, but close enough to the action that people can easily join in. That should work. )

[braveoff]

[ Drake's been there, too, and Lup was the one to comfort him in that case. He'd do anything for her... so far that's included luring her out of the house, and now it maybe includes dancing to take some of the attention off so she can breathe at this party. He starts moving towards where Kate is pointing, considering how to answer her question. ]

You could've just started dancing alone. Or asked anybody else here, we don't know each other very well.

[dedikated]

( Lup's good like that, though Kate doesn't think she's ever actually said that aloud, Lup really is a solid rock when a person needs her.

So, if she can only repay her by giving her a chance to not be surrounded by well-meaning people, that will have to do. )

Don't know that many people here. ( She shrugs. Sure, Kate could have asked Glacius, who she can see milling about, but maybe she wanted to speak to those people she doesn't know as well. Or... dance with them. Same thing, really. It just so happened that she grabbed the dude mingling on the outside of the party, inviting him in—

... Oh, good lord, is she turning into Faith? Well. There are worse people to become, worse people she very easily could have become. If pulling a dude over to start dancing with her is the worst thing she does tonight, it's been a great night. )

[braveoff]

Heh, turns out I don't either. Not really -- just a lot of acquaintances.

[ He's got plenty of people in the city, has gotten better about putting up walls and keeping his distance, only playing the protector instead of forming relationships... and yeah, he's got people now. But they're not at this party so he isn't socializing all that much.

The music changes as they hit the open space, and Drake is struck again by exactly how good a party Taako's pulled off. It's mostly magic, he knows, but he still doesn't fully understand how it works. Maybe he should ask Lup or Kyna to teach him a little sometime, just out of curiosity. They keep saying anyone can learn, even if it doesn't exist where he's from. Lance has sure learned plenty. And that's probably as good a topic to talk about while they dance as any, isn't it? All he really knows about Kate's world is that glimpse he got when people were sharing memories. ]

Does your world have magic like this?