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

[icanfixer]

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

Comments

[hypnagothic]

Yes.

[ again, that bold confidence. ]

Though likely not in the manner you are imagining.

[matermali]

[ Vanessa perks an eyebrow, a teasing lilt to her voice. ]

You may be surprised at what I can imagine.

[hypnagothic]

Then I would ask what you imagine of me.

[matermali]

[ With hands clasped behind her, she leans back against the railing while considering the sight of him. ]

I imagine a man who has studied and experienced more of the world than most people, but perhaps too often viewed through the lenses of another in that you may consider their experiences over your own. I might imagine someone who seems to be everyone at once, but that would hide so much of his true self from others.

[ And so she imagines loneliness, but that will remain implied. Vanessa doesn't need to blatantly offend him, and she could be wrong about it all. More than likely, she tends to project. Her imagination hardly needs to be real, that's the point. ]

Yet, I can't imagine what you might dream of.

[hypnagothic]

[ he doesn't rise to her teasing or mirror it in any way, he keeps still as he has done thus far, half-facing the party rather than turning to face her appraisal. but he's not necessarily closed off either, just not making himself open. his chin lowers slightly when she finishes, a small nod. ]

You are correct in your imaginings then. You are indeed observant.

[matermali]

[ To that, her smile softens to something smaller; something a little sadder. The lonely tend to be observant, after all. ]

A lucky guess. And what might you imagine of me or my dreams?

[hypnagothic]

No guess.

[ a simple and brief declaration. but he tilts his head slightly, and he turns his body more towards her as he didn't do earlier. he doesn't glance over her whole body though, his eyes never leaving hers while he speaks softly and without judgement in his tone. ]

You spoke of nightmares before, alluding that you have them rather than more pleasant dreams. I imagine they haunt your waking hours.

[matermali]

[ A wrinkle to her brow as she gentle shakes her head. Not in denial, but gentle bemusement. He is more than correct. ]

It was not always so. With youth went the sweeter dreams, I suppose. Once one has noticed the shadows miring the light, it's impossible to forget.

[hypnagothic]

That, too, is common, the shifting of age and awareness.

[matermali]

[ There's a subtle shake of her head. There is the brutal truth that turns children into adults, yes, but then there is the source of that truth. Not many look that far. ]

Less common for people to see what lives within and beyond the shadows. Few are able or willing to look so closely.

[hypnagothic]

[ he seems to look at her more sharply then. ]

And do you, lady?

[matermali]

[ Something in his stance gives her pause before she responds, curious to what he sees in the shadows. Can he envision what stirs underneath hers? ]

I can see nothing else.

[hypnagothic]

[ his gaze is locked with hers, that sharp stare feeling like it could pierce her soul if he wanted it to, regardless of her will. but it's only a feeling, right? he can't actually see what she dreams about? ]

... No.

[ he turns his head out towards the party again, that intense stare of his releasing her from its pressure and weight. at least for the moment. ]

You still seek company here. You wished to dance. You see more than the shadows.

[matermali]

[ Her own gaze doesn't shy from his; if anything she would do well to peer into the thoughts that stir him to this conversation, but her powers are too weak tonight for her to do much more than stand captivated.

There is no weakening to the intensity of her gaze, though. Suddenly her throat feels thick, and her grip on the railing tightens just a touch. Vanessa is unwilling to deny his judgment, and why should she? Should she be afraid to admit that hope still lives somewhere in her heart?

It is such a delicate thing, after all. For others to see it means they can damage it. ]

Seeking, perhaps, but what have I found?

[ A moment of dance is nothing more than distraction, she knows that much. Fleeting. The shadow always returns, settling comfortably around her as though home. ]

[hypnagothic]

A companion, perhaps. And the knowledge that you are not so alone, here.

[ he says it softly, where she might have to strain to hear the deep sound of his voice over the party's din if she wasn't staring at his face to know he was speaking. he turns his head back towards her, just slightly, most of his profile still to her. ]

That in itself is a kind of hope, is it not?

[matermali]

[ As if he had taken the words out of her mouth. She squints, then, head atilt while she looks at him anew. Something else behind her eyes is also looking at him. Something old. ]

Hope can be dangerous.

[hypnagothic]

[ if she tries to See within him, she'll get the curious sensation of something vast and endless, something more than just the mere man she sees before her. some yawning chasm of ... something. it seems undefinable though, not with her skills as what they are here. but it is something old, as well. maybe impossibly old.

or maybe the evening's beverages are playing tricks on her. ]

Aye, it can be a weapon, one that can be used by others to diminish you. But it can also be wielded by you to strengthen your own resolve.

[matermali]

[ When faced with a chasm, Vanessa's nature is to step toward it rather than away. Always with one foot tipped over the edge, poised between a dance and a fall, until fate whispers in her ear.

Her grip on the railing loosens and slips away. When she leans in to whisper, her hand settles over his arm with something bordering an affectionate squeeze, though it's so featherlight against his sleeve that it could be mistaken for the flutter of a warm breeze. ]

That is why it's so dangerous.

[ As though one ought to take care around a Vanessa Ives with too much strength or resolve. It's uttered with a little smile, the friendly hush in her tone teasing it as if it were a joke.

Her being a danger is no joke, but for a creature such as him, she wonders what that could mean. ...She doesn't think she wants to find out; that is the trouble of liking someone. Fate whispers, Take him. And so she turns away, against her nature.

Stepping back before he can think to do so first, Vanessa takes up her empty glass and gives him one last glance over her shoulder. Too stunning to risk her curse, she decides. ]

And so I must continue seeking, for drink and dance. Have a good evening.

[hypnagothic]

[ his eyes track her as she steps in close, watching how her hand lands upon his sleeve, but there's no sense of rejection or withdrawal, no unwelcome sentiment from him other than how untouchable he seems to be. he also doesn't protest when she draws away, remaining as still as ever as she puts more distance between them.

he gives a subtle nod when she glances back though; a polite acknowledgment. ]

Good evening to you, as well.