citylogs | [MINGLE, ESPECIALLY TO NEWCOMERS] ROOFTOP FESTIVITIES!!!

[MINGLE, ESPECIALLY TO NEWCOMERS] ROOFTOP FESTIVITIES!!!

WHO: All!
WHAT: Rooftop festivities!
WHERE: On a rooftop of an office building in the second open district!
WHEN: 8/14, evening!
WARNINGS: alcohol, tba as it goes

Banner displayed inside the train station, outside city hall, and on the most used residence buildings.

Follow the arrows.
So you're unaware. Maybe new. Or maybe you just didn't care the first time you saw it. That's fine. Between the banners hanging around key areas, and the flyers quickly drawn up in a similar fashion scattered across the city, it's hard not to know something is going on -- and there's helpful arrows, chalked on building walls and the streets the day of the party, to let people know where to go.

The Rooftop

A splendid scene awaits those who travel heavensward. Fairy lights connect the corners of the roof access building to metal poles at the corners of the building itself, lifted by cylindrical supports where needed, each one held straight by pots filled with well-packed dirty and stone. There's multicolored stars hanging from some of the lights, while various painted flowers hang on others, and what greets the ears first is some royalty free party music played from a CD player off the the side.

There's a long folded out table in the center for those who'd like to share cuisine, just set and serve yourself! Nearby is a space for Daan to do some bartending as well, a man who can make a multitude of cocktails and mocktails for those who want something less alcoholic. Also, pints of various ice cream flavors in a cooler!

Don't worry -- they won't have any odd effects on them, Don verified the lack of them herself. Not all of them are normal. Think loaded baked potato weird.

For those who'd like a quieter space, there's beanbags and a swirly, fuzzy carpet to sit on more away from the center of the party area. This'll be a great time to play some games, such as truth or dare, spin the bottle, and... whatever else you play at parties. Get to know your fellow man and such. Play the violin.

Naturally, no party... hosted... by Don Quixote would be without a space to fight, if one wishes to show off a little! It's also taking place on a swirly fuzzy carpet, just so no one smashes their head in, and there's a neat little banner hanging down from a string of lights that says thus:

WIN THREE MATCHES AND A PRIZE AWAITS THEE!!!!!!!
- NO KILLING
- HANDS ONLY

What the prize is, no one knows. But come find Don Quixote with your battle scars and she'll grant it -- and stick around a while, 'cause this party's gonna end with a bang... that is, with homemade fireworks donated by "a friend" through Junpei.

Anyway, have fun!!! Share words about your worlds!!! The society your characters are from, the cuisine they've brought, how they're working out in the city -- help the new kids along, too. There's more vets here now than there were a few months ago, after all.

Navi: Truth or Dare - Two Truths and a Lie - Hydra Storytelling w/Junpei - Drink Up With Daan - Qixi Festivites

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[ finally, a familiar face. to be honest Reno spots Prompto by the hair like five minutes before Prompto actually makes his way over, at which point Reno's grin widens a little. he, for one, doesn't feel awkward about it at all, not even when literally the first thing Prompto does is chide him for smoking. ]

Oh, is that so? [ Reno chuckles, takes another deep drag, and then puts the cigarette out against the railing. because he can already hear what Prompto would have to say about it if he flicked the butt over the building's edge, he tucks it back into the pack instead. ] First my noodles, now my cigs...

[ he's just teasing, though. Reno reaches his drink out to clink its rim against the edge of Prompto's. ] Welcome to the party. You settling in okay?

[ he opens his mouth to say something, probably to make an apology because he's not insinuating anything (honest!), but all prompto does is duck his head to hide the sheepish expression that spreads across his face. and even, possibly, the slight blush. at least the nudge of drinks seems to help calm him down, and he smiles back in appreciation of the fact reno doesn't linger too long on the topic. ]

Yeah, I guess. Not the worst place to be, but it's still pretty creepy sometimes. [ prompto takes a sip of his drink, something non-alcoholic because he doesn't feel like that kind of drinking right now. ] What about you? Are you staying somewhere around here?

[ it's totally casual to know where everyone's living. obviously. ]

[ the way Prompto's cheeks go a little pink is cute. Reno supposes he can't tease him too hard yet, if even that much is enough to make him blush—he's gonna have to work Prompto up to being on the receiving end of Reno's usual ribbing. ]

Yeah. 'Least it's creepy in the "empty, not enough people" way and not the "monsters on every doorstep" way, eh? [ not that Reno's ever lived in a monsters on every doorstep world, but considering that the world has almost ended around him three times in the last decade, he's okay with taking things a little slow for now.

the question makes Reno turn to lean his chest against the railing instead, scanning the street until he identifies the building he's squatting in. he points to indicate it. ] That one, down the street. Ain't seen any neighbors yet though, so I dunno if I'll stay. You?

[ he takes another little sip of his drink, stepping up next to reno to look over at the city. it's so eerie to be in a place this big and not hear much of anything coming from it. it doesn't remind him too much of home, but all the same, it does make him feel momentarily homesick. ]

Monsters? [ prompto huffs. ] I didn't think I'd ever say this, but I'd take those or daemons over whatever's going on around here. At least you can do something about that. [ with his thumb and index finger, he imitates the firing of a gun before smiling a bit more. there's something a lot more relaxed about the way he slowly settles against the railing. ] Hmm...

[ he squints at all the buildings. ] Not sure which one it is, but it's pretty close. There's already some people living there.

That's true. Not as efficiently as back home, though. [ the pew-pew gesture makes Reno grin, but he's still smarting a little from having his stun baton taken away. being weaponless in a new place isn't his favorite feeling, even if he's confident in his ability to handle himself unarmed. ]

That's good. First night was weird without any background noise. [ the silence of the night had made it hard for Reno to sleep.

something occurs to him then—totally unrelated to background noise or neighbors—and he turns halfway to face Prompto, a curious eyebrow lifting. ]

Y'know, out of everyone I've met so far, I think you're the only one who uses gil as currency. [ what the hell is a dollar. ]

[ prompto hums in response to the comment about background noise. he definitely knows what that's like and how much silence isn't really his friend. if he thinks about it too deeply, maybe that's why he'd shown up here: to prove a point about dealing with his own thoughts in all the quiet. but he doesn't want to think about it, and to fill in the static, he'd just played stuff he'd had saved on his phone from home.

maybe reno would want to hear it some day, but they're not to the point of hanging out like that yet. ]

Really? [ he hadn't actually asked anyone about money, but he figures that makes sense. he'd met people who aren't from eos, so who knows what that's like. ] Huh. I mean, I hadn't actually heard about gil either until me and my friends left Insomnia. But it's apparently the only type of money everybody else uses, and you kinda need it to buy stuff.

[ they'd only had yen, and after things went down, it wasn't as if cards or a royal line of credit would get them anything. ]

Where're you from? [ maybe he's heard of it. ]

[ Reno considers himself... if not well-adjusted, then at the very least capable of adapting to almost any situation that's thrown at him. and up until this point it's been true—but despite how hard he'd worked to find his footing in this new place, that first night trying to sleep without the familiar sounds of Edge around him had been hellish. ]

And what's Insomnia? [ the way Prompto said it sounded like a capital I, so Reno says it the same way. a city? a country, maybe, if it has a currency of its own outside of the gil Reno is more familiar with? it's definitely nowhere Reno's ever heard of, that's for sure.

despite the strange overlap in systems of currency (and chocobos, although Reno doesn't know that yet), he's operating on the assumption that Prompto's not from Gaia. ]

Midgar. [ well— ] Midgar Edge, these days. [ the statement makes Reno wish he hadn't put his cigarette out, but he's not gonna go lighting another. ] On the Eastern Continent of a little blue rock in space called Gaia.

[ despite being all over the place most of the time, prompto can adapt. he'll try his best not to complain about it, but there are some things that even he needs to vent about. ]

Insomnia? Uh, it's home. Or was home, I guess. [ his face goes through an entire journey before he settles on shrugging. ] It's not there anymore. Long story. [ but it's not actually that long if he sums it up as a casualty of war, though he'll just keep that to himself for now. he's much more interested in what reno is talking about. ] Can't say I've ever heard of either place.

[ his geography skills aren't all that great, but he's certain there isn't a midgar (or midgar edge) anywhere on eos. ]

Mine's Eos. That's what everyone calls the world anyway. I could list some countries if you think that'd help, but maybe our money's the only thing we've got in common. [ and chocobos. ] Midgar Edge sounds pretty rad though.

[ there's an entire story packed into the expression Prompto's face makes when he says was home, I guess. Reno doesn't poke at that particular bruise just yet—and even if he did, he's not sure he and Prompto know each other well enough for him to get the whole story—so he just files the information away for later.

if only Reno wasn't too lazy to go over and grab one of the pieces of paper being kept on the other side of the rooftop near the party games. instead, he draws a large circle in the air to indicate the world, then a smaller one for the continent, and then a dot for Midgar. ]

Midgar Edge... [ Reno considers it. ] Might sound cooler than it is. It's a rebuilding effort. We almost ended the world, two years ago—destroyed most of Midgar in the process.

[ speaking of complicated expressions for a face to make... ]

Edge is like the resettlement zone. Slow building, but we're getting there.

Oh.

[ there's a very audible, almost sheepish sound at the realization of what reno's telling him, and for a second, he doesn't know what else to say about it. some of the story sounds familiar to him, things that had happened back home and how much weight had been dropped onto his best friend's shoulders.

he stares at reno for a second longer before dragging his free hand through his hair and mussing it even more than it already happens to be. ]

Well, hey. Getting there is better than not, right? Progress and stuff. [ and after an even longer pause, he drops his eyes to his untouched drink. ] Must have been hard for you and everyone there, huh?

[ cute. Reno laughs and tugs at one of the more gravity-defying front parts of Prompto's hair, a silent reassurance that there's no need for him to be sheepish about it. how could he know? ]

It coulda been way worse. Like, we almost ended the world, but we only almost ended the world. [ meaning: the world is still kicking, no matter how hard people have tried over the last half-decade or so to change that.

and despite everything, the destruction and the plague and the societal semi-collapse, the people of Midgar keep on rockin', as the memorial plaque on the Meteorfall statue reminds Reno every time he passes it by. ]

But yeah... yeah. It was hard. [ not as hard for Reno, whose fall was cushioned by the weight of the company's lingering power. but—hard. a flash of guilt burns hot in his throat and he takes a sip of his drink to wash it away. ] People are pretty resilient.

[ there's something about that casual touch to his hair that causes him to clam up a little, unsure how to take the gesture. the laugh helps, but prompto still isn't sure if it's meant as a relax sort of thing or a you're cute and i've gotta touch you sort of thing. it's all in the context, which he has none of, and either way, he finds himself blushing a bit.

he doesn't hide it well, but he tries by taking another hurried drink from his cup. ]

They can be, [ he manages after a second or two, voice soft. ] I'm guessin' you are too.

[ which is totally not a line, even if it sounds like one. he clears his throat. ]

So, um... what kinda work did you do? Sounds like you tried helping those people when you could. [ always the optimist. ]

[ a little bit of both, if Reno's honest—leaning toward the latter once he clocks the blush and the way Prompto immediately tries to hide it in his drink. color him charmed.

once was presumptuous enough, so Reno doesn't repeat the gesture, but his grin softens almost uncharacteristically. ]

Sure, guess I am. [ in a certain light—with a certain framing—he supposes that Prompto's not wrong. Reno's just not used to thinking of himself that way—he does what he has to do to get by, he always has.

and speaking of what he does to get by...

the grin fades a little as Reno considers how to answer the question. he's still playing his cards close to his chest on the subject, especially when it comes to what exactly he did for ShinRa at the height of the company's power and his own complicity in their various and sundry crimes against humanity, and yet somehow outright lying to Prompto feels... not great, either. ]

Big question. [ Reno opts for the extremely condensed version: ] I worked for the company that was responsible for almost ending the world. Once the old president bit it and his son took over, it seemed like our responsibility to do what we could to make things right.

[ prompto picks up on reno's slight change in demeanor, but he doesn't say anything about it, taking another sip of his drink and lightly tapping his fingers against his cup. from the string of words the other man puts together, it sounds as if he doesn't want to get into super specifics. which is fine; prompto definitely gets that. he's got his own secrets that he'll clutch close to his chest as long as he can.

almost carefully, he steps a bit closer and relaxes next to reno before gently nudging him with his elbow. sort of an almost companionable nudge. ]

You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Just felt like the kinda thing you ask someone, you know? [ he pauses, pushing his cup from one hand to the other as the sounds of the party rise up in the silence. ] You're trying, right? I think that's all that matters sometimes.

[ which he believes, offering a smile as he says it. ]

[ the nudge to his elbow draws Reno back into the present, away from his ruminations on the death of his moral compass by a thousand cuts. he glances over, listening, and then smiles—not his usual wide, flirtatious grin, but despite himself, something warmer and more sincere. ]

You're a nice guy, huh, sunshine? [ he returns the nudge, just as gentle and sort of almost companionable. ] Don't worry, I ain't the type to be pressured into sayin' shit I don't want to say.

[ that's all that matters sometimes. Reno hopes Prompto's right about that, although some would argue that the the company's efforts now are too little too late—and Reno himself finds it hard to believe that two years of revitalization efforts in Midgar Edge, no matter how laborious, can wash the blood of tens, hundreds of thousands off his hands. ]

I also ain't trying to convince you I'm a good person. [ if nothing else, Reno can be honest about that much. ] But yeah, I'm trying. I guess we'll see whether it ends up being enough.

[ after a second, Reno laughs softly and bumps his shoulder against Prompto's. ] We gotta lighten up over here, this is getting dark. Quick, tell me somethin' that makes you happy.

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[MINGLE, ESPECIALLY TO NEWCOMERS] ROOFTOP FESTIVITIES!!!

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