[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

[closerift]

World, worlds. I take your meaning either way.

[ She isn't going to ask any more about that, so Lucretia won't have to worry about any explanations.

The mention of Lup has her chuckling softly, though. ]

No offense meant to anyone involved, but you seem fairly close to the opposite of Lup, at least based on the limited interactions we've had. [ She looks from one mage to the other, though, and cocks her head to the side. ] Something like "opposites attract," then?

[madamdirector]

[ Small blessings. She laughs in return, fondly, shaking her head. ]

Something like that. But we've also known each other a long time, and...

Has anyone told you about the ship? Our journey?

[closerift]

Not really, actually. If I'm honest, I don't remember who all is from Taako's world, but he's the only one I know...er, well. [ ... ] As well as someone can know him, I think, without the deeper pieces of his life revealed.

[ She's seen a few of those, through Hadriel's gods' influence, but not many. Taako keeps his emotions at a distance in a similar way to Cecily herself. ]

Would you tell me, though?

[madamdirector]

Of course.

[ The abridged version, anyway. Cecily doesn't need to know the more tragic elements of this story, not for this. ]

We were researchers, the seven of us. Explorers. We were on a ship, a prototype. The first of its kind, able to go further than anything else ever before.

We'd just blasted off when the Hunger attacked our planet.

[closerift]

"The Hunger..." [ About as self-explanatory as "darkspawn," she assumes. ] I think I can guess that you've faced more than a little hardship, at least after the Hunger attacked. [ It sounds like it was the invasion of some kind of alien species, and she has no trouble picturing creatures that look suspiciously like demons from the Fade assailing a nameless world. ] I'm sorry. I...hope that your forces were able to fight it off.

[ But... ]

[madamdirector]

[ Lucretia sobers, shaking her head. ]

I'm afraid not. We didn't even go back to fight - we would have been destroyed along with the rest of them. Captain Davenport made the decision to keep going, but our mission changed. Rather than exploring the planar system, we were researching the Hunger. And looking for a way to stop them.

[closerift]

As anyone with sense would do. [ It makes her think, of course, of Corypheus, of his dragon, of how they'd come to be and how to defeat them. ] ...Did you find it? Before you arrived here, that is.

[madamdirector]

Not...before I came here.

[ Not quite. She still believes that her shield is the thing that will stop them, but she'd been pulled away before she could see it through. ]

The others, though - they've seen more than me. They say that it did work. That we were able to defeat them for good.

[closerift]

That should be a relief then, isn't it? Unless you know you won't be satisfied until you see them gone for yourself.

[ Something she can definitely understand. Hearing from people you trust that the problem has been solved is nice, but it won't ever, fully erase that doubt. Not until you're able to witness the end of it in your own time. ]

[madamdirector]

Oh yes, it certainly helps.

[ She smiles, remembering the relief, the joy she'd felt when Lup had told her the news. ]

Not quite the same thing as living through it...but yes, it does provide some peace of mind.

[closerift]

A little, I hope. [ Easier said than done, in cases like these. ] ...I only really know Taako - and Lup, but only a little - but I know that you've got a good group on your side. And that can make all the difference.

[ She knows that one for a fact, too. ]

[madamdirector]

[ Her smile falters just a bit when Cecily mentions Taako, but she quickly recovers, nodding in emphatic agreement. ]

THe best group. [ No offense to the Inquisition, Cecily, she hasn't met yours. ] I don't -

[ "Don't know what I'd do without them?" Well, that's not quite true, is it? She's seen what becomes of her without them. ]

I'm - blessed, that they're here.

[closerift]

You are. [ She agrees, smiling, but her tone firm. ] I've been with some of my own, and I've been without. I've got to say, the former is definitely preferable.

[ She misses them all very much. It's been some time since anyone from Thedas who remembered her has been here. ]

Keep them close while you can. They could be gone tomorrow. [ ... ] Sorry, that sounds grim as anything, and I don't mean it to be. You...know what I mean. Probably.

[madamdirector]

[ "Without" might be less complicated, she thinks, but - no. She wouldn't give up her friends here for anything. Even Taako.

Lucretia smiles sympathetically, shaking her head. ]

No, I - it's all right. I -

[ She thinks of Barry, and sucks in a breath, dropping her head. ]

You're right. I'm grateful to still have so many of them here.

[closerift]

[ She nods once with approval, falling silent briefly. ]

...I'm sorry. I do try to not bring down the atmosphere of parties, but here we are, and I've brought the pall.

[ It's not usually her bag, but sometimes you have to actually be Real with other people. ]

Can you tell me...hmm. One of your favorite memories from home?

[madamdirector]

[ Lucretia just laughs, shrugging her shoulders ruefully. ]

Don't worry about it. At a gathering like this, I think some of that might be inevitable.

[ Considering the reason why they're all here...

She pauses at that, humming quietly and looking thoughtful. There are so many memories to choose from, is the problem. And yet...it's been so long since any she would describe as a "favorite." ]

I think...the first time all of us laughed together. [ She smiles, gazing not quite at Cecily as she remembers. ] We'd only been together on the Starblaster for a few days...weeks at most. It was still all so new, and while we'd all met before the mission, of course, we didn't really know each other. We were still all...strangers, despite the Captain's team-building exercises. Still trying to figure out our individual roles. How to work together, to relate to each other.

[ Apart from the twins, of course, but it goes without saying that they'd always been a unit. ]

But Captain Davenport always insisted we eat dinner together. More like a family than a crew. And then Magnus made some comment, and Merle responded, and Lup made a joke...and before we knew it, everyone was just slinging one-liners, doing their best to make everyone else laugh, and we were all just losing it.

It's easy to say now, of course, with all those decades of hindsight, but I like to think that we knew then. That there was something special there. Something different.