[closed] a little party never killed nobody

[spellslots]

who: The IPRE + friends
what: A dinner party!
when: Novemeber 18
where: Chez IPRE
warnings: some mild drug use (alcohol + marijuana)

Party time, motherfuckers. After sending out invitations, the IPRE (mostly Taako, because he's the most extra of the group) spends a significant amount of the week preparing for the party, making sure they have all the food, decorations, and wine necessary to put on a good evening. The whole point of this is to be a distraction from a shitty month, and to get everyone together, since they have a range of friends who haven't all met each other. They've been talking about doing something like this for months, so it's nice to finally pull it all together.

Upon arrival (and despite Taako and Lup's involvement) the decorations are minimal. Couches have been transmuted from their regular fabric to rich velvets, there's a little glitz and feathers here and there, but they didn't want to go too hard on the theme. It was just a way to have a little fun with the evening. The bar cart, on the other hand, is definitely in line with Speakeasy, featuring a lot of gin and whiskey based drinks, though anyone with a preference for wine or beer won't be disappointed. The start of the evening is dedicated to introductions and mingling, probably helped by the alcohol, though there's also cheese and antipasto plates set out, just in case anyone was worried about not being fed at something hosted by two chefs. As a way to break the ice, and to get people talking and having fun before the evening really kicks off, the brick wall of the small living room has been set aside as the designated backdrop for a 'photo booth', which mostly consists of a few instant cameras, including one that takes what are essentially magical gifs, so long as the button is held down for 5 seconds. There are a few props that match the theme of the evening - fur stoles, feather headbands, felt hats, long strings of pearls - to make the photos a little more fun. Once everyone is seated in the dining room, it's time for dinner. The food brought out for the main meal is warm and rich without being too heavy, slow cooked meats and roasted vegetables can be mixed with salads and lighter sides to avoid anyone slipping into a food coma before dessert has even begun. Everything is set in the middle of the table, for people to serve themselves, so they can pick and choose what they want to try. Lup has made at least one incredibly spicy dish, so be careful.

While there's no rush to leave the table, eventually plates are cleared away (by magic, so none of the hosts have to stop chatting) and everyone is ushered into the larger of their living rooms, where the small coffee table has been replaced by a seemingly floating table that's large enough to accommodate all the desserts. There are various pies (pecan, pumpkin, cherry), apple & maple cake, chocolate tarts, brownies and trifle. There aren't quite as many options as there were on the dinner table, but it's near a thing, especially when the section of the table devoted to cream, ice cream and sauces is taken into consideration. Dessert is an extended affair, pies will stay warm and ice cream will stay frozen for as long as they remain on the table, so people can return and try more even as the rest of the night presses on. And although the food is, really, the main attraction of any kind of event that Taako is involved with, that doesn't mean there aren't things to do other than eating. Once the dining room table has been cleared, (plastic) champagne glasses are laid out in what might be a familiar formation to anyone who went to college, especially when a ping pong ball is added to the mix. It's beer pong! Except it's actually prosecco pong, because this is a classy joint, not some frat. Or at least, that's the excuse. There are a few other things to do, mostly in the more generic range of party games, including a deck of Cards Against Humanity that Taako discovered a couple weeks ago and had been delighted by. He's definitely going to wrangle people into a game of Never Have I Ever, maybe Truth Or Dare, and anything else he can think of that requires drinking alcohol and saying stupid shit. What better way is there to get to know people? As things wind down, the backdoors open up into the courtyard, where a fire is set up, cushions and blankets placed outside for people to curl up with. The fixings for s'mores are available for anyone who somehow still has room to eat more food, and there's mulled cider just in case the fire isn't enough to keep people warm. It's a nice way to wrap up the evening.

Comments

[franciscoramon]

Honestly?

[ He is laughing along with Hana; she has an infectious laugh, in that way, where it's hard not to follow suit once she gets started. Of course there is a more serious side to the story: his own clumsiness, being so much smaller than everyone else, locker rooms and bullies and bullshit, but that is all very firmly in the category of Not Fun Party Talk. ]

You fail PE by caring so little that you ditch about 95% of classes and spend that time hiding in an old computer lab teaching yourself how motherboards work and building dumb little battle robots and stuff.

[ Cisco gives a big shrug, unabashed. ]

It was a required class but I knew colleges weren't gonna give a shit, why waste my time?

[bunnyhopped]

[ Laughter aside, Hana gives him a warm smile; even in such a competitive environment she's genuinely enjoying getting to know people more, and she always, always loves learning more about Cisco in particular. He and Taako are probably the closest things she has around here to just— friends. ]

Hmm, who knew? Skipping out on PE turned out to be your origin story!

[ She leans back a bit in her spot and offers an equally unabashed shrug. ]

Honestly, if I could've skipped PE without any consequences I totally would have. I would've rather spent the time practicing for tournaments back then!

[ The smile on her face is fond, too, as she looks back on those days - before she became soldier, when her biggest worries in life were how to balance her schoolwork with pro-gaming. ]

[franciscoramon]

[ He makes some assumptions about what she means by 'no consequences', since after all, he had failed the class - that wasn't nothing. ]

The benefits of having a family that doesn't give a shit about you.

[ Oh no. That was too honest, wasn't it? His anti-awkwardness filter ought to have caught that, but he's too tipsy and it had just slipped out. He'd meant it to be funny, but he knows from experience that a lot of the time the jokes he makes about his own family don't strike other people as very funny.

So he clears his throat, awkwardly, and says: ]

Um, your turn. Hit me with your best shot.

[bunnyhopped]

[ Her smile falters at his comment - but the way he clears his throat is cue enough for her to try and move on with the game. Thoughtfully she taps on her lips with a finger to try and come up with another prompt that isn't quite such a blatant attack. ]

Never have I ever... driven a motorcycle?

[ Do people say drive when it comes to motorcycle?? ]

[franciscoramon]

[ Yeah, he definitely should've kept that one in. Oh well. Time to just move past it as quick as possible and pretend nothing happened. ]

I've helped the Flash take down a gang of armed robbers escaping by motorcycle? That doesn't count, does it? Pretty sure if I got on one I'd fall off in like, two seconds flat.