(no subject)

[necromanswers]

♥ Who: Lup + Close CR (who will be contacted! <3)
♥ Where: Lup's house
♥ When: start of August
♥ What: A ladies (kinda) night, the redux!
♥ Rating: PG and up, probably


Those who Lup deigned to grace with an invitation will receive one at random: that at the recipient's convenience if they so desire, they are invited to join her in what she is calling (without explanation) a Pocket Dimension Party. As per the instructions, any time within the next 24 hours, they can enter through the garden back door and "find the cat".

Should one accept the invitation and follow those instructions, they can find Ditto curled up in the grass beside the house, dozing, though at the arrival of any visitor he perks up and stretches. Rubbing up against their legs, Ditto will head over to a section of the wall and paw at a corner, until a door abruptly glimmers into existence and opens for him. He meows plaintively and waits. Go on in! Just close the door behind you.

Inside the doorway, visitors will find… a mansion. Elaborately decorated, warm, and inviting, it is like entering a rich and immaculate house that someone's taken a lot of time and TLC to make perfect. No one greets them as they enter, but if they call for attention and no one is in the immediate vicinity, a semi-transparent spectral servant will arrive and guide them to Lup. Otherwise, they are free to explore the house and make use of the facilities as they please.

The following areas are available:

• An extravagant entrance hall with soft wood paneling and fancy art on the walls
  
• A lounge area with big fluffy couches, pillows, and blankets, as well as a projection screen that works with communicators and whatever digital media Lup is familiar with, or a music mix in lieu of said media being played
  
• A full-service kitchen and dining area, where a collection of spectral servants (features to be determined) will upon request cook any meal a person desires, assuming they (and by association Lup) are familiar with the recipe and ingredients. It's all delicious, too!
  
• A sizable basement with regenerating training dummies, various targets, and more servants who will act as moving targets on request. They can't be hurt, but they can move around freely.
  
• A big and beautiful spa with all the soaps and pampering material that anyone could ask for
  
• A "pet room", AKA a room devoted to toys, climbing shelves, cat trees- whatever an animal might want to stay entertained for hours unsupervised

More details to be added as needed! This is a mingle free-for-all, there is no set schedule. Visitors can come and go as they please for 24 hours, and at the end of the spell anyone still inside will be summarily booted out into the garden.

Comments

[astralera]

Your 'surprise' was understandable, Ardyn. The blame lays on solely Esteem. They should've known better.

[ She stares at the sword again, noting some of her blood on it. The towel is once again brought out and she moves forward to expertly wipe away any filth. ]

I taught myself to wield the greatsword after I gave up on healing. What use was healing magic if I couldn't save the ones I loved? I thought by being their shield instead I could keep them safe from ever being harmed in the first place.

[ Satisfied that the blade is clean, Era puts away the towel and stands up straight once again. ]

What is its name?

[scourgingstars]

It was...forged together with a matching twin. We were taught to wield them from a very young age by a man that most called the Blademaster.

[Ardyn gripped the hilt a little more securely, lost in thought.]

...When I first came to Niflheim, this sword was all I had left of those days--rather, the only thing I had left whatsoever. Even should I have a distaste for fighting, being parted from it would be as losing an arm.

It's called the Rakshasa Blade; its twin is known now as the Blade of the Mystic.

[astralera]

A gift from those who raised you?

[ Era can't think of any other reason he would be given such a beautiful blade at such a young age, considering what she knows of him. ]

...I understand what that is like, to some extent. [ She had nothing at all, save for knowledge she hadn't let learned she knew. ] And I believe you are thinking of it the wrong way, brother. For someone of your nature... Your sword is not for fighting — it is for protecting.

Rakshasa has served you well, and will continue to serve you well if you allow it.

What is the name of its twin?

[scourgingstars]

...I think so. My memory so far back is a little too hazy to trust, but I know they were given to us by our parents.

[He smiled faintly, as if her correction had been encouraging--however slightly.]

It was the Yaksha Blade when I knew it, but that was long ago.

[astralera]

Then it is most certainly a blade forged with the purpose to protect. It's no wonder it stays with you, even now.

[ She says it with utmost certainty. ]

'Yaksha'... That is a proper name. Not a pretentious title. [ Era rolls her eyes a little, tone playfully mocking: ] 'Blade of the Mystic', really.

[scourgingstars]

...I don't honestly know where it came from, myself. Perhaps he learned some talent for magic at some point.

[astralera]

Perhaps.

[ Most likely subsequent generations took a few liberties. ]

I learned a bit learned more about your family's abilities, you know.

[ ...She realizes she had meant to ask more about them, but got kind of... sidetracked... Oops. ]

What do you know of them?

[scourgingstars]

...What do you mean? I should hope I know a fair bit of them.

[astralera]

...Can you do the cool armiger thing?

[scourgingstars]

The-...? Do you mean this?

[Rakshasa vanished from his hands, and at a slight gesture a handful of nameless blades made of magenta light appeared in a flash of crystal shards, rotating around him slowly.]

1/2

[astralera]

[ Era stares at the numerous blades floating around him in a way that makes it very apparent she's never seen the armiger before. ]

...That is really swivving cool.

2/2

[astralera]

[ ... ]

...

[ Era's gaze shifts from the armiger to Ardyn, and her expression looks significantly less impressed. ]

...And you never showed me before, why?

[scourgingstars]

...I haven't had reason to use it, and I don't know that you ever asked what we were capable of.

[That seemed obvious enough, swords dissolving into pale red sparks.]

Outside of that incident with the wall breaking, I haven't had any reason or need to fight seriously.

[astralera]

What—

Ardyn! I love magic and blades and combat and this place is severely lacking in all of those things! [ She's frustrated enough that she's puffed out her cheeks, and her tail has lifted up reflexively to make her look bigger. ]

And you've not just a beautiful sword, but a bunch of— Of magic-energy blades you can levitate around you whenever you like?

It's like—

If Noct didn't—

[ She just can't even right now. How do words??? ]

Shite.

Ardyn, I'd have never thought to ask because it's like you're afraid of yourself, and then the bits you aren't afraid of you think you don't deserve them.

But look at how fucking amazing you are! You absolutely deserve every good thing you have!

And you're a huge dumbass if you think I wouldn't want to know this kind of thing!

[scourgingstars]

[Ardyn just kind of stared at that outburst, somewhere between shocked and bewildered while completely at a loss for words.]

I...I'm sorry? I've never thought much of it--such things come naturally, I merely did not think to consider it remarkable enough to be worth explanation otherwise.

[astralera]

That's because you never think of yourself remarkable or worth enough. [ She huffs. ] But I think you're worth rather a lot, and not just because I'm mildly inebriated.

[scourgingstars]

...

[Ardyn smiled slightly, resting a gentle hand on Era's shoulder.]

Thank you--your friendship and encouragement are worth a great deal to me as well. I know that I am...not always the easiest person to deal with, but the fact that you persist in doing so sober or otherwise means more than you know.

[astralera]

[ She huffs again, but more softly, and her expression shifts to match. ]

You're almost as stubborn as I am.

[scourgingstars]

I have been known to be somewhat stubborn, yes.

[astralera]

...I think am going to take my stubborn self to the 'spa' to wash. [ Unfortunately she did work up a fair bit of sweat during her exertions. ] The steam will be good on my scales.

[ She hooks her arm with his elbow, clearly expecting him to come along. ]

Afterwards I'll share my wine and paint your nails.

[ Such a tempting offer. How could he refuse??? ]

[scourgingstars]

That...does sound nice, I think.

[A little less enthusiastic about the washing part, but he couldn't really stop being dragged along.]

[(He could, being quite a bit taller, but he wasn't going to.)]

[astralera]

It does, doesn't it?

[ Era had the advantage of knowing what was available prior to this evening, meaning she prepared ahead of time for the possibility of a nice spa soak.

It doesn't take her long to drag him to the spa area. She is quick to kick off her flats and puts them into a locker, then undoes the ribbon at her waist so she can unlace the loose corset and pull her dress off over her head...

...Except she has rather large horns that are infinitely more difficult to navigate when you're not wholly sober. She flails for a bit, then stops and turns to Ardyn for help; voice muffled by the fabric of her skirts. ]

My horn is stuck.

[scourgingstars]

...Would...you like me to help?

[he said, thoroughly flustered by the idea and the fact that she'd just kind of started taking off her dress with no warning.]

[astralera]

Yes, please. [ She does give one last valiant wriggle in an attempt to figure it out, then sighs. ] It's too cute to rip.

[scourgingstars]

[this poor kid]

[Ardyn stepped closer, carefully disentangling Era from her unfortunate dress.]