it's a paaaaarty

[indelebilis]

♥ Who: Aera Mirus Fleuret and YOU.
♥ Where: Around town and at her residence.
♥ When: NOW!
♥ What: Smoothies. It's literally a party... to make smoothies. A smoothie mingle, if you will.
♥ Rating: S for Smoothie. Also I can't imagine this getting rated any more than a PG 13 for language and shenanigans.

[ A - It's shoppin' time! ]

[ In the morning, Aera can be found hanging around various areas of town, mostly picking up little things. Party hats, she's discovered, are some of her favorite things. She's also got to make sure she's got plenty of cups, too. If one is to throw a party based on the premise of whipping up various smoothies, then one needs to be properly prepared.

She's also dropping hand written invitations off and handing them out to random people, because why not?

The invitation simply reads:
'Dearest friend and or loved one,
It has been brought to my attention recently that smoothies are delicious and, apparently, on occasion, magical. With this in mind, I've realized that I do not actually know how to make a smoothie.
You are invited to my home [INSERT ADDRESS HERE] this evening for a smoothie party. Supplies will be provided, but if you wish to bring anything, please do. The more the merrier!

P.S - if Ardyn says he did not want to throw a party, do not believe him. He is lying. He is very excited about smoothies.

-Aera Mirus Fleuret'

That last part is probably a lie. He's probably not that excited for smoothies. ]

[ B - PARTAAAAAY ]

[ As the sun sinks and night falls, Aera's opened her home up to anyone and everyone. Upon your arrival, no matter who you are, you will be greeted with a hug and a kiss to the cheek, along with having a delightful party hat strapped to your head. How festive!

In the kitchen, she's got lots of things ready for smoothie making. Well... things she thinks would make for good smoothies. But if you've brought anything, she'll gladly take it with a thanks and place it with the rest of the things in the kitchen.

Go on. Make a smoothie. Drink the smoothie. Mingle. It's a smoothie party, after all. ]

[[ ooc; it's a mingle friends! Feel free to start your own threads, tag whoever you want, and have a fabulous time making chaos smoothies. ]]

Comments

[original_is_best]

Interesting. So many forgotten Houses, buried under their own irrelevance. It made him more proud of House Aldercapt, rising to the top through sheer determination without the aid or intervention of the gods.

"It is going well. I need only some more space, time and money to create a proper environment for learning. I believe that shall happen shortly."

Especially if Somnus was going to give him a hand, so to speak. It had felt like some long months working with limited resources. He pushed through and completely abused the system, but still. He wanted a proper lab.

"Tell me of the daemons of your time. I was able to find a mold left in the earth of one, allowing us to see what it looked like. They seemed to have evolved in their own way over the years. However, it was only one specimen."

[meridio]

"Winged, humanoid daemons were a common sight. With arms like sickles, their roars shook the earth at night."

Many good men and women had perished on those nights. Somnus hadn't been able to save any of them—only put an end to their suffering—while the soldiers had toiled away with little to no recognition. It had been a turbulent era, indeed.

"What else have you learned about this world?"

[original_is_best]

"That would be difficult to summarize succinctly. I've gathered various pieces of information, not all of which have clear connections to each other as of yet. But you will be free to peruse that in the future."

Very much hinting that he had plans.

"Tell me of the Oracle of your time."

[meridio]

This one always had plans. So far that was working in their favor. But unchecked ambition had a way of spiraling out of control.

"Why not ask the Oracle herself?"

[original_is_best]

"I would like your opinion."

Third parties could always give different views.

[meridio]

"She was the first among mankind to hear the gods. It was her sacred duty to pass their revelations down to the mortal realm, and she upheld this to the end."

His view, as it turned out, wasn't much different from fact.

[original_is_best]

"Those seem to be the facts. Did you not know her personally?"

That would seem odd considering her apparent relationship with Ardyn.

[meridio]

Verstael could regard it as the confirmation of facts, then. Somnus scanned the center of the room where the party was liveliest.

"She was devoted to all facets of life."

[original_is_best]

"So you are saying that she is driven."

That sounded more like an opinion of her character. And confirmed that they must have been acquainted to some extent - though Verstael couldn't say how close they would have been.

[meridio]

Driven? No, not quite. Aera was an enduring presence, dynamic in nature yet a reliable constant in her duty. Thanks to that, he was able to trap her in his ploy. Verstael could think what he wanted.

"She is our host." Coming here, Verstael must have known that. "Confirm the truth for yourself."

[original_is_best]

"Her lips are not tightly sealed. I wish to hear it from your mouth."

After all, he didn't ask for anything particularly salacious about her. He simply wished to hear an opinion about the Oracle at the time.

[meridio]

"You asked my opinion, and I gave it. She was not one to take her duties lightly."

She'd been the embodiment of devotion in life—quite sharp as well in the process—and he expected that she would continue to be so here. The rest could be observed shortly.

Speaking of observation: "What do you find lacking in the city?"

[original_is_best]

"Consideration for foreigners. They supply us with certain resources that work for them and bar us from others. In the end, they pretend to cater to us but it is all for themselves."

He didn't particularly care for being dragged here only to be kept out of their real labs. Being allowed only in labs that might be suitable for a students was practically an insult.

[meridio]

"We are a resource to them. Intent notwithstanding, they treat us accordingly."

The flow of information was controlled in the city for both natives and foreigners alike. From the point of view of a well-meaning native with limited knowledge, perhaps the current behavior was seen as protective and accommodating. But it was also restrictive, casting a sinister light over Havenwell and what the future held when so little was known.

[original_is_best]

"I'm aware. We are most likely samples. I wish more understood that so we could better react."

It was frustrating. He saw it that way because he could be nigh-heartless in his research himself, so when he saw what the natives needed, and what the foreigners were, he put two and two together. The natives needed biological samples and the foreigners were biological samples. Likely nothing more, nothing less, and the idea that they were wanted for particular talents or worth was probably idealistic.

If it were true, he could see no reason why they would bar someone like himself from assisting on a project that he was an absolute expert in. Especially when his only motive was success - he had no particular reason to sabotage or particular ulterior motive.

It was good, then, that Somnus seemed to see it as well.

"We should try to meet the game players at some point. I doubt the natives we have met have much knowledge beyond what they're allowed to have."

[meridio]

In the worst case scenario, they would be samples. If they were, ordinary natives were likely in the dark as much as they were on this. In any case, it was too early to be acting on those suspicions.

"How do you propose that this come to pass?"

If the game players were the gods, there was no telling when they'd be granted an audience. As for the council, it would be easier to go through Magolor, who'd been fostering relations already.

[original_is_best]

"That, I do not know at this point. We've learned some about this world, but we're still lacking much. Perhaps one of those among us who is socially adept may find a way to win their trust."

That wasn't Verstael's job. He knew that much.

[meridio]

It had once been Somnus' job to secure the trust of his people. Now his directive lay elsewhere, and years spent as an observer had dulled his flair for performative speeches.

"What will you do once you have secured this meeting?"

[original_is_best]

"I will inform whoever I am working with that I am not the diplomat."

He, himself, probably should not be in the meeting. For his own potential safety, for the progress of his work. He was a working in the background kind of guy.

"I doubt we will procure much information, particularly at the start, beyond repeats of the stories we've been told. After all, they're accustomed to natives believing without question. The gods will probably be quite like you."

[meridio]

Speaking so easily of things about which he knew nothing. Indeed, Verstael was ill-suited to play the diplomat. His tongue was much too sharp for a political setting.

"Magolor is in correspondence with the council. You may wish to start there."

[original_is_best]

"Indeed, I have taken a step back as he has worked with the natives. Though I do not believe we should rely solely on him."

Verstael didn't entirely trust Magolor either. He would work with him when it benefited him, though. He just wouldn't put it past Magolor to potentially sell him out for his own profit.

[meridio]

Trust no one, not even the floating egg.

"The nature of this world spurns reliance on a single individual." This was why he'd asked Verstael about having successors to his work in a prior conversation. "He intends to open a base of operations."

[original_is_best]

"Does he? Do you know what sort of facilities it will be?"

He pondered what work Magolor would be doing that would require its own building. Perhaps an embassy, of sorts.

[meridio]

"Details will be forthcoming. He acknowledges the folly of working alone, but continues to delay for myriad reasons."

It was something of a vicious cycle at this stage in planning. The city would surely benefit from the presence of an embassy, particularly for new arrivals, whom Magolor himself had named.

[original_is_best]

"..."

He didn't entirely think that Magolor was incapable of getting anything done, but he had certainly seen his fair share of hints that caused him to put some distance between himself and the globe. He did have a sense of self-preservation, after all. He could only wonder why he was making a myriad of excuses.

"It may be best to find some more people who are trustworthy but also amiable with the natives. Perhaps Regis."

He had someone else in mind, but he didn't want to give that name up. Forgive him for being a bit protective of his potential resources.