riverviewlogs | [closed] a little party never killed nobody

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Obediently, Cisco shrugs off the jacket, looking around lost for a moment for a good place to put it, where it's unlikely to get alcohol spilled on it but where he won't forget it, either. In the end he opts for a door handle to a closet, a little out of the way. He tugs at the bottom of the waistcoat to straighten it out, fiddling with his tie, adjusting the tilt of the hat once again. ]

Shoulda come without a costume... I look silly in this kinda thing.

[ And he gestures at himself, as if to indicate his outfit - which, though passably gangstery, is really not all that different from a regular suit. Fancy clothes of any kind really aren't Cisco's forte. He'll dress up for a party, now and then, but he always feels vaguely to incredibly uncomfortable with it. ]

[ Rin shuts one eye, like a jeweler in the midst of an appraisal. ]

You're selling yourself short, darling. You look positively dapper. Especially with that slick hair.

You are missing something, though ...

[ He 'hmms' to himself as he glances back over the prop table, but he's not finding any more inspiration there. He slips a hand into his own vest, then pulls out a red silk rose. Where was he keeping it? Where did it even come from? Who knows. ]

Try this.

[ He leans forward, pinning it expertly to Cisco's vest. ]

[ Cisco raises a hand to his hair unconsciously, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, embarrassed but pleased by the praise. A part of him knows that it might be flattery, but even so, well. It's still kind of nice. Especially coming from someone as well put-together as Rin is. ]

Don't think I've ever been called dapper before...

[ Rin was quite right about that silk rose (which as far as Cisco's concerned, he probably conjured out of thin air). It adds just the right splash of color, the right touch of flamboyance to make the rest of the outfit work. Cisco watches him pinning it on and then beams. ]

Perfect.

[ Then he ducks into the little magical photo booth that Taako or Lup had set up. He tries a few very serious poses with fake glowers, but then just gives up, grinning and laughing at the camera. When he's done, he returns to Rin's side, asking: ]

Mind if I keep the rose, for tonight?

[ Cheerfully: ]

I only speak the truth.

[ So far as anyone knows, anyway. He waits while Cisco takes selfies, his own expression looking clearly pleased with himself--whether for helping out or for some other reason, who can say. In any case, he just shakes his head at the request. ]

It's yours. A token to remember me by.

[ He bows slightly, because he isn't being extra enough right now. ]

I'll treasure it.

[ He bows back, grinning, hoping that Rin won't mind a little teasing about all the formality. He's gotta have a sense of humor, right? He is dating Taako, after all. If he were totally intolerant of irreverence, that wouldn't work out for very long.

Cisco wasn't sure if the 'remember me by' thing was verbal flourish or Rin's gentle attempt to extricate himself from the conversation, but he doesn't look uncomfortable or like he's about to bolt at any moment, so Cisco just keeps on chatting away. It is a party, and he'd like to get to know Rin a bit better. ]

So what is it you do? Professionally, I mean? I think Taako told me once upon a time but I may or may not have forgotten. [ He's definitely forgotten. ] All I remember is it sounded very fancy.

[ If Rin does mind, there's no sign of it. His expression remains as friendly as ever, and he just shrugs--demure--at the question. ]

Me? They stuck me on surveyor duty when I came through the portal. Before that, I was just a traveling merchant. Nothing much of note, in other words.

[ He flicks imaginary dust off of his lapels. ]

Not terrifically fancy, either. But anyone selling something has to maintain appearances.

[ Smile. ]

How about yourself?

I don't know, surveyor and traveling merchant both sound pretty dope to me.

[ Even if Rin isn't familiar with the precise terminology, it's pretty clear from Cisco's tone that it's a compliment. They're fairly different professions with discrete sets of skills, and as far as Cisco's concerned, both are plenty noteworthy. And, well, maybe his threshold for fanciness is just a lot lower than Rin's is. Almost certainly, in fact. ]

Oh, I do R&D for the emergency services. So, basically, I design and build armor and protective gear and tech and some weapons and stuff for, like, the firefighters, and police, and the Guard as well.

[ Which means that, even if Rin has never used anything he's designed, he's probably at least seen some of it around. ]

[ He's picked up on some modern slang (impossible not to, given the amount of time he spends with Taako), but 'dope' is pretty new. He'll just slide that into the lexicon. ]

Now that's fancy. I've no talent for such creation.

[ He taps his chin. ]

You must be the architect behind some of that smart equipment I see around from time to time. Looks very well made.

You wouldn't say that if you saw the state of my workshop.

[ Cisco loves his work, there's no question about that, but it's hardly very glamorous. There are plenty of people in the emergency services who don't even know who he is, don't really question where any of their equipment comes from. And he's alright with that, so long as a few of them do, and so long as his tech helps to keep people safe. He's never really been one to seek out the spotlight. ]

Some of it, yeah. I designed the new comms system the Guard's been using for a little while now. And, uh, the sonic stun grenades, though you probably haven't had a whole lotta reason to see those puppies in action.

[ At least, hopefully not. Cisco doesn't know how regularly surveyors end up running into monsters, and he's not really sure how to ask. ]

Anyway, if you've ever got weird tech questions or needs, you can definitely hit me up.

It's not the process, darling, it's the product.

[ That's all that matters. What people see. What they interact with. ]

I've had a few misadventures, but I'm a pretty slippery fish.

[ A shrug; a smile. Truthfully, he could use those grenades, especially if he runs up against those cultists again ... but no need to get into that right now. ]

And as I'm from a place that's never even heard of the word 'tech', I'm sure I'll be calling on you.

[ Cisco ducks his head forward, unable to keep himself from smiling, now. He knows that to some degree it is politeness, and almost certainly some amount of flattery, but, well, it's working. He is well and truly flattered. ]

I've had a couple of those, too. This place seems to encourage misadventures.

[ Curious, though, the way Rin describes himself. Cisco can't help but wonder just how slippery - metaphorically speaking. But no point in fixating on that, just now. He smiles when Rin says they didn't have tech in his world, points out: ]

I'm sure there was technology of some kind, though. Everybody has machines of some sort. And there's people here from worlds with advanced tech beyond anything I've ever even imagined, so. It's all a spectrum is what I'm saying, I guess. Just come by any time.

[closed] a little party never killed nobody

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