lap eight // day 271 (open) // IT'S PARTY TIME

[amphibian]

Who: EVERYBODY
Open: Open
When: 271
Where: In the empty space around the monument!
What:

PARTY MINGLE GO
Format: DO AS YOU PLEASE AND FOLLOW YOUR HEART
Warnings: If anything comes up, put it in the subject lines!


[As everyone wakes up bright and early this morning, it isn't going to be hard to miss what's changed in the empty space around the monument Just in case, though, signs with indicating arrows line the campground where the Bastion's newest guests are staying, reading, in Ura, "This way to the party!"—wait, party?

Oh yes. Anyone Aoi had managed to grab the day before ought to be prepared for this. A great big banner stretched on two poles over the monument reads "Welcome to the Bastion!", written in Ura again; there's a little variation between the handwriting, since Zanya wrote some and Zahi wrote others.

Every last piece of the area that can have something hanging from it does: Zuko's lanterns hang off all the nearby trees, and her streamers, mostly red and sometimes gold, line absolutely everything, including but not limited to all the chairs and tables Ryu got together and helped arrange. Other things you're apt to find everywhere: flowers. Between the Psiioniic, the Disciple, Ghaleon, and Crona, there are more flowers than anyone could ever figure out what to do with. Aoi's best has been done, though: garlands are hung up around furniture, tied around tree trunks, woven through branches, strung between the branches of adjacent trees, wrapped 'round the monument, and so on and so on. A lot of care has been put into making sure they look good instead of just being thrown every which-way.

A few mismatched vases sitting on the tables have some flowers sticking out of them, too—perhaps exactly enough in each to make a flower crown, hmm? There are no party hats, so some improvising will have to be done.

There's all manner of tasty treats placed on all the tables, of course: a platter of picked donuts is to be expected, given Aoi's hand in all this (and thanks to Naegi, there are plenty to go around and they're arranged almost elaborately), but Rin, Zia, and Mirielle have provided all manner of homemade goodies that aren't just Aoi's favorite desserts. Bon's made a cake that Aoi has proudly placed in the center of one round table and surrounded with the rest of the desserts.

Instead of food, one table has a chalkboard propped up on it instead, with a box of colorful chalk beside it. Aoi's already written a small message in the corner—Thank you, everyone! with a smiley face beside it—and doodled a couple of flowers around the edges. The board's five feet long and there's plenty of chalk to go around, so there's certainly room for collaborating on something!

Not far from all the food sits the enormous stack of Legos Aoi purchased at Ibuki's suggestion. Legos. Please keep your shoes on, for the love of god. Some of them have already been arranged to form half the outside of a floor and a chunk of wall up to Aoi's chest so everyone has an idea of what's supposed to be done with things, but there are more than enough to start new projects. On the other side of the monument, closer to the collection of shop buildings than the gazebo, the soccer nets Otoha and Takamura built out of Skyway scraps have been set up (flowers have been woven in and out of the netting, of course). Aoi's brought out not one, but two of the soccer balls given to her during the festival, just in case of a soccer ball malfunction or if the game gets big enough that everyone decides rules are for losers and the only way to play soccer is with multiple things to kick. In the absence of paint, Aoi has decided to use more streamers as field markers.

At the gazebo not far off (naturally, it's covered in streamers and flowers as well), there's a set of speakers and an amplifier ready for use—Ibuki's, of course, and the little note Aoi's written that reads "For Ibuki-chan!" (with the wrong characters for her name, but points for effort) confirms it. Her equipment from Colin has all been set up, too: the spotlights on the top and bottom of the gazebo will shine in all sorts of colors when Ibuki turns them on, and there are some additional bits and pieces to the sound system to help make everything that much noisier. Aside from hanging decor, the space in front of the gazebo has been left empty so that there's enough room to dance!

To the side of the gazebo and just behind it is the unreasonably long rope Shing somehow managed to scrounge up. Like absolutely everything else, it has a chain of flowers wrapped around it. A streamer's been tied around the very center of it in a bow, and hopefully that makes its intended purpose as a tool of tug-of-war obvious enough.

If Aoi has anything to say about it, this is going to be the best goddamn welcome party ever.

Enjoy the festivities!]

Comments

[cyan_maid]

[Hmmm. Well, they ARE very distinct cracklings. As Jane wanders closer to the food tables, she can start to make them out, and decides that if she doesn't see the troll she's looking for, he's obviously hiding somewhere...

...


...Behind the tables?]

[polariity]

[Nope, not behind. But this close, she should be able to spot a glare of yellow beneath them...]

[cyan_maid]

[Underneath was going to be her next guess.

Cautiously, Jane peeks under the table, hoping the yellow has not led her astray.] Hello? Mister Psiionic?

[polariity]

[And ta da! There is the right troll.]

[Curled up with his knees up to his chest and an orange slice poking out from his mouth, he gives an owlish blink towards Jane as she peeks down at him.]

[cyan_maid]

[Hooray, Jane found him! She wins all of the prize.

Kneeling down so she can be on somewhat of the same level,] Are you alright? Or are you taking a break from the party?

[polariity]

[There's a thoughtful suck on his orange before he just nods and holds up two fingers. He's not really a "party" kind of guy.]

[cyan_maid]

[She hums thoughtfully, and then points to the flower crown on her head.] And would you happen to be distributing these during your break?

[polariity]

[A nod, and then he points to himself. He is responsible for all of it, you're welcome.]

[Okay, not all of it, he has no idea where some of these other flowers came from, but hey. At least a good chunk.]

[cyan_maid]

[She smiles.] Well thank you very much! It's quite thoughtful!

[And...a little odd, for what little she knows about him, but why look a gift horse in the mouth.]

Would you mind some company, or should I leave you be?

[polariity]

[That actually makes him pause, split tongue grinding against one fang. As if she's somehow forgotten, he points at his throat. Great conversationalist, he is not.]

[cyan_maid]

Yes, I know. In all honesty, I'm sure I could talk enough for both of us. [Psii, have a little faith in the people who populate your supposed delusion.] I'm just putting the offer out there, and I understand if you'd rather be alone.

[polariity]

[...Well, if she's sure. Carefully, he scoots to the side and an orange falls from his lap which quickly gets scooped up again. Room for two, now.]

[cyan_maid]

[Aww! Jane smiles and scoots in, taking his room-making as a positive sign.] Thank you very much. I think you've got the right idea, hiding out this way. To be honest, stumbling onto a party is...a little overwhelming, you know?

[polariity]

[An agreeable nod, psi forming a mass of stick figures. Way too many people, to be frank. More people than he knows what to do with, for sure.]

[cyan_maid]

[Ahah. Well, to be fair, he doesn't come off as much of a people person anyhow.] There's that too, yes. I think I've been in the cannery a bit too often, because it's even a shock to me to see so many folks around...

[polariity]

[The crackling lines shift, this time to various images that look roughly like some of the food that's displayed. At least there's that. Between his own claws, the same energy gets to work on peeling another orange there.]

[cyan_maid]

[Food, huh, okay. Yes, those are definitely food shapes.]

Hm...okay, are you asking about the things I do in the cannery, or for something other than an orange to eat?

[Pictionary with Psii, everyone.]

[polariity]

[At the suggestion of eating things other than oranges, he actually makes a face. Why would he ever? Oranges are the best. Nope, one finger going up this time.]

[cyan_maid]

[Okay, that face is quite silly. Jane stifles a chuckle and nods.]

Okay, the first question it is! Well, I mostly can vegetables, sometimes fruits. Whatever comes in, I preserve it. I'm still not spectacular at it, but I manage.

[polariity]

[Curiously, he holds up the now bare orange in question while the starts to nibble on the peel. These too?]

[cyan_maid]

Yes, you can do oranges too. They're usually mashed down into a marmalade, but you can preserve them whole or in wedges, too. I think there might be some in the cannery...

[polariity]

[...Yeah she should get what that hopeful look means, especially with the orange peel still sticking out from between his fangs.]

[cyan_maid]

...Would you like me to see if I can bring a jar or two up to your apartment every so often?

[Why even bother asking.]

Marmalade or whole oranges? Or both, if I can?

[polariity]

[A much more energetic nod, and two fingers again. Both, both is always good.]

[cyan_maid]

Hoo hoo! It's a deal, then!

[She kind of wonders what he's going to put the marmalade on...or if he'll just eat it straight from the jar. Oh, wow. Jane, what have you started.]