[OPEN]

[refire]

Who: Alphen, Shionne, Law, Dohalim and you!
Which: open log 
Where: treehouse area!!!
What: a dinner party 
Warnings: none so far to note but I'll update as needed 

[It's a quiet evening in Reverein. Near the residential areas with all the treehouses there's a distinct smell of food.  A warm and pleasant atmosphere fills the area making it seem comforting.  Upon entering the treehouse you can find various dishes laid out.  Alphen prepared a Roasted Chicken for everyone to eat. He spent a lot of time making sure that the food he made was actually edible for other people. He's had many opportunities to cook during his travels so it should taste good. There might be some spice on the chicken along with different herbs on it to bring out more flavors. 

It looks like there's a huge feast. Everything is set in place so that anybody can just walk in as they please.  Food is the best way to bring everybody together. An assortment of drinks can be found on one of the larger tables. The treehouse is covered in different decorations that stand out more than they should.

Alphen can be found either outside sword training, preparing meals or he's inside staring at the decorations with complete confusion. ]



Journals
Sender:  Alphen
Locked To: Castmates 

Subject: ????
 
Okay guys, what the hell is with all these decorations? And why is everything so gaudy looking? I was preparing dinner and noticed that it looks excessive. It's not just my imagination because this is a bit much...even for me.

I know it's not that big of a deal, but I don't know how these things even got here. [He's somewhere sighing and facepalming.]

Look, I'm not mad or anything. I just want to know who put up these decorations in the first place. Is all of this really necessary?

[ooc: This is an open mingle log!! Feel free to make your own top levels and party crashers are welcome!!  ]

Comments

( JOURNAL | OTA + PLEASE THREADJACK )

[dethorne]

It isn't gaudy!
It's festive.

( guess who may or may not have had a hand in those decorations? )

journaljack!

[menancia]

We thought they were befitting for the season.
Joy, bright and colorful against the dreary backdrop of snow, warmth to ward against winter's bite.

[Guess who helped.]

journaljacks the journal, jack

[zephyrean]

Did you have to decorate everything? My training equipment was tangled up in whatever the hell all this is!

[He's with you, Alphen. It's a bit much.]

Journal jacking hours

[refire]

Shionne and you too Dohalim?

Festive.... I don't know if I'd call it that. Maybe it's better if I keep my comments to myself.


[ If he says anymore he's just going to end up with a headache. This is way too much for him. Every inch of the place is decorated...!!!! Who's going to take it all down once this is done??? ]

dinner | open

[rokubro]

[You know what a good dinner party with new people needs?

Alcohol.

And whether it's served or not, Rokurou will have brought a few bottles as gifts...and while not wasted, he is definitely feeling more energetic. Which results in two things:]

⋚ a. never have i ever

[What better way to break the ice and then throwing out some good ol fashioned drinking games!?!?! This won't be a disaster at all.]

Okay, I have no what you all might be used where you're from, but there's one game that's popular to do at parties. It's called "Never Have I Ever," and basically one person says something they've never done, like, uuuhhh, chopped off someone's head and then everyone who has done it would take a shot. Like so—

[And proceeds to down his glass.]

Then you just keep going around the table. The goal is try to catch other people, so you try to think of things you haven't done but are sure or hoping others have. Usually something embarrassing.

[But his example wasn't embarrassing at all??? And kind of gruesome?? Not that he's noticing he's just smiling and having way too much fun already.]

So whaddya say, wanna try?

⋚ b. drunk challenges

[And of course...eventually Rokurou gets a little hotheaded and will just suddenly yell out:]

All right, you guys look pretty strong. Who wants to have fighting match with me!

[Do note, he might be wobbling a little.]

⋚ c. wildcard

[General mingling stuff! For when Rokurou isn't being kind of all over the place. Truth be told he's content in watching everyone else while also engaging in conversations at first...just once he gets enough alcohol he gets a little too engaged.]

B

[refire]

You want a fight? I'll take you on!!!

[ Alphen's enthusiastically drawing out his blade, eager for battle. He had too much alcohol tonight. ]

Maybe you're strong too, but I'll never back down!!!

[rokubro]

[HELL YEAH ALPHEN MY MAN UNDERSTANDS!!!

Instantly whipping out his blades. And they're still inside, aren't they?]

C'mon, Alphen, I've been wanting to see what you can do. Bring everything you got!!!

[refire]

I could say the same thing to you!!!! If we're going to fight we better take it outside.

I'd rather not disturb the others.

[ Alphen is already walking outside half expecting that Rokurou will follow. ]

a!

[menancia]

[While some might have recoiled the example Rokurou had given, Dohalim seems completely unperturbed, and looks thoughtfully at the contents of his glass, considering. The rules of the game are straightforward enough, but—]

Does that mean you've truly decapitated someone?

[He looks up at Rokurou, his steady gaze one of honest curiosity rather than accusation.]

You must be quite strong.

[rokubro]

[Rokurou just grins as if it isn't a big deal.]

I do take pride in my strength and skill. Heads, arms, legs, torsos—I've cut them clean off, sometimes all at once.

[menancia]

Fascinating. Such strength is not unheard of in our world, but rarely seen.

[Dohalim himself has no stomach for gore, so he doesn't mind not having seen it for himself, but it's still very impressive, even just in the telling.

He lets out a soft hmm, tilting his head slightly.]

I have to wonder how 'all at once' would be physically possible. Ah— but I suppose I am meant to go next, yes?

never have i ever !!

[dethorne]

( while he's explaining the rules, shionne swirls the wine in her glass, one brow raising just slightly at the concept of this game. chopping off someone's head didn't exactly seem embarrassing to her, so maybe it could be an easy win...?

really, she's only even entertaining the idea because of alphen's encouragement when it came to getting to know others...... )

All right, fine. Then, never have I ever... ( she's sizing him up, trying to get some kind of read— ) skipped a shower for more than a week.

[rokubro]

[He feels her sizing him up and then laughs at what she ends up saying.]

That's kind of a cheap shot isn't it? [And knocking one back, but he doesn't really care.] But why more than a week? Has the latest you've gone six days?

Dinner | Open

[roseofmay]

► 01. Involuntary Guest

[How did Dohalim talk her into this? The moment she arrives, she's almost certain it's a mistake. She could likely just walk right out, but... But then Dohalim would likely see her. Beatrix knows that she stands out whether she wants to or not. It's not as if she can just sneak her way right on out and sneaking is not exactly something she's inclined to do. She has far too much pride for just such a thing.

As such, faced with no shortage of food, she decides that merely the smell of it is better than how she's managed to keep herself sustained thus far. Something a little hardy would likely be of benefit to her. With that logic in mind, she does manage to seat herself eventually before she is faced with the dilemma of where to begin.

And it's about that time that she gets the feeling she's being watched (whether she is or not).]

...Something you need?

[Who knows. Maybe she sat in someone else's seat. It's not like she asked for permission, after all.]

► 02. More Wine

[She's spent a decent amount of the night listening to the conversations going on around her and begrudgingly carrying on conversation with others where it's been a necessary evil, simply to show that she is, in fact, capable of relying on something other than Save the Queen, which has remained faithfully in its sheathe.

It dawns on her as she's polishing off what must be her second or third glass of wine that this is not so different from some of the galas held in Alexandria's castle. Life in court isn't so unfamiliar either. Tight-lipped smiles (for anyone who isn't Beatrix, anyway, given that she isn't prone to smiling), careful politicking, and so on... It's the closest she can liken this dinner to, though the dinner itself and its various cast of attendants are far more cheerful than she's anticipated.

Almost. Given that Alphen likely was at the head of it all, she's unsurprised. He's the right amount of annoyingly cheerful.

Zidane would adore him, she thinks on the verge of a scoff.

Lifting her empty glass, Beatrix tips it and without skipping a beat—]

More wine, please.

[At least she's saying 'please.']

► 03. Wildcard

[Find her in a corner trying to avoid people or trying to inconspicuously make her way out before she has to try to pretend being personable. She's probably spending more time listening than she is conversing. Information is a valuable asset, after all.]

02

[menancia]

[Only a brief moment passes before her request is met with the sound of wine being poured, Dohalim himself having taken the liberty of doing so. He proceeds to fill her glass generously, a polite smile settled comfortably on his face. He may not be as energetic as many of his companions, but he's certainly no less cheerful for it.]

You seem to be enjoying yourself— almost.

[He makes a brief amendment. Heaven forbid anyone overhear and thus not take her seriously. She's made it quite clear that her reputation is of the highest import.]

I take it the wine is to your liking, then?

[roseofmay]

[Generous, is he?

Beatrix doesn't miss that. It must be somewhat transparent that she is the type of woman who may be a touch more bearable when she's had a few glasses in her. And if not that, then she's at least not quite so ice cold. In truth, Beatrix has probably found herself in the bottom of a few bottles here and there.

At first, she's disinclined to even address him, though after a moment, she thinks better of it. Diplomacy, after all. She must be diplomatic.]

I am no connoisseur of such things. It is passable.

[It's obviously better than passable given that she's still drinking it.]

Do not tell me you have been watching me all evening to monitor whether I am taking 'pleasure' in this... gathering.

01

[refire]

It's good to see you here, Beatrix!

[ Hey, he remembers seeing her back when they first arrived. Alphen smiles briefly as he waves with a friendly and warm gesture.]

How are you doing? I was hoping I'd get a chance to speak with you more over some drinks.

[ Alphen just opens a bottle of wine and prepares some for later. ]

[roseofmay]

[If she's thought she was going to attend this little to-do and manage to escape without Alphen spying her, that was clearly not going to happen the way she might have wanted it to. She can't even pretend to be surprised when he does manage to snag her attention.

"I was hoping I'd get a chance to speak with you more over some drinks."

...Why? What reason does he possibly have to feel that way? He barely knows her and she intends to keep it that way.]

I continue to survive and thus would consider it sufficient.

[She lifts a hand and dismissively waves, indicating their surroundings.]

I heard you were responsible for this.

wiiiiine

[dethorne]

Oh, sure.

( it shouldn't have surprised her that dohalim had already pressed his influence on someone enough to invite them to their gathering. honestly, it was probably a skill to be envied. shionne, on the other hand, had never been the best at... schmoozing.

thank goodness the wine was helping with that. )

Beatrix, right? Did you get enough to eat? There's still plenty of leftovers.

[roseofmay]

[Beatrix had, whether noticeable or not, spent less time eating and more time listening. Rather, even back home an appetite was not something she was known for having. Too many things to do to sit down and really properly eat. Most meals were had either in the company of her queen or whilst she buried herself in what seemed like never-ending bureaucratic paperwork.

Shionne's address hadn't so much caught her off guard as she'd contemplated what, if anything, Dohalim might have said about her.]

Alphen has only been too hospitable. [She replied as kindly as she could muster, understanding that despite her situation, kindness would go further than her hostility. Although Beatrix had never much been known to be kind either. Not so publicly, anyway.] All of you have, really, leading me to believe you are all from the same home world.

Alphen | Tales of Arise | OTA

[refire]

1. ARM WRESTLING!!!!

[Alphen likes a good challenge so he prepared an empty table off to the side all for the purpose of...arm wrestling. He stretches for a bit and then urges you to come over for some activities.]

We should have an arm wrestling match if you're feeling up for it!! You can think of it as something fun to do while we're relaxing. Just thinking about it is enough to get me excited. How about you?

2. MEAL TIME

I know I prepared chicken earlier, but I'm waiting to see what everyone else thinks of it. I only used the best ingredients!!

[If it turns out his food is still too spicy then maybe he has to do something about that. Alphen used to put way too much spice on his food before. It's spice and only spice. That's what his cooking was like in the past. He had to spend a lot of time learning ways to balance his meals more. It might not be to your liking, but he certainly tried.]

When you grab a bite to eat tell me your opinion. I'm all ears.

3. LATER IN THE EVENING

Now that we've all settled down and had our meal I guess I'll go sharpen my sword. I can't go fighting with dull blades. This place has tough adversaries so I shouldn't lower my guard. [He insists on wearing armor at a dinner party of all places.]

What's the most interesting thing you've seen since you arrived here?

I came across an empty forge with an acquaintance. There weren't many supplies so I thought of gathering materials for it. We could manage gear there. These blades could use a good polish too.

WILDCARD

[You're always free to pm me on springbloom]

wildcard/3/as discussed!

[luciing]

[ Somnus had been just short of contact the other by journal regarding their business, but as fate would have it, he happens to be passing by around the same time Alphen steps outside of his treehouse. Once the door closes behind him, muffling the warm, merry noises of celebration within, Somnus speaks. ]

Hail, Warrior. [ So comes his greeting, formal and low as before. His helm tilts to the treehouse. ]

This is your residence?

[ Somnus is carrying some sort of large, burlap sack over his shoulder, which after a shrug, he rests carefully upon the ground. The contents scrape and clack together, as if made of stone or metal. ]

[refire]

Hey, Somnus. Good to see you again and yeah this is where I live.

[ He folds his arms together curiously and looks at Somnus again. It's impressive how tall this guy is. Just how large is he? Alphen isn't exactly short either but he has to look up to see Somnus directly. ]

It's a pretty nice place and my friends make the experience better. What have you been up to these days? Still thinking about weaponry and armor?

meal time, any time, all the time, idk

[dethorne]

It... was spicy.

( there's no two ways about that. but alphen has definitely made huge strides in his cooking, especially, probably... now that his sense of pain had returned to him. maybe more than anyone present, shionne had experienced his culinary skills over the course of their journey. and now, she can almost proudly say: )

But in a good way. ( in case it wasn't obvious by how much she of the chicken she personally put away. ) I really enjoyed it, the balance was just right.

[refire]

You really think that? Thank you Shionne!

[ Alphen is so pleased to hear it that he relaxes into a smile. It's funny to think that they didn't get along too well when they first met. He had to force conversations under their less than ideal circumstances. Regardless of what happened in the past he's happy they can just sit down and share a meal in peace.]

I actually prepared more food for you. Let me know if you're feeling hungry still.