[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

[realists]

Three months or so. [ more like two and a half, but whatever she's rounding up. it's not important anyway. ]

I think Taako was one of the first people Cassian met.

[scholiast]

(No bother to Lucretia, who nods and looks over automatically toward Taako, her expression fond. He's got somebody engaged in animated conversation on the other side of the room.)

I think Taako has been that for a lot of people here, actually. It's just who he is.

[realists]

That was the impression that I got.

[ settles people by not letting them think too hard. it seemed to work on cassian at least, she doesn't think there are very many people he would agree to go to a party for. ]

[scholiast]

(Lucretia nods, looking away from Taako and back to her.)

What is it you do here, Jyn? You have a job?

[realists]

I am part of the Perimeter Guard. We explore outside the wall, make maps.

[ jyn brings back plants to study and "classify" because she is secretly a nerd but not quite the scientist her parents were. she says "we" as if inclusive of all the guard, but she that isn't what she means. ]

[scholiast]

Cool.

(Lucretia means it wholeheartedly; she would love to make maps.) I haven't been outside of the walls, much. What's it like out there?

[realists]

Wild. So much of the old city is overrun with the nature, like the moon is trying to reclaim what was built upon it. Sometimes it seems as if we go out and push back some of the vegetation only to see it grown over twice as much when we return.

[ suddenly so many word. ]

[scholiast]

(Some of those words are even poetic, in a way. Lucretia glances down at her hands, and smiles.)

I need to go and see it... I've become so caught up in my work. Are you trying to clear the vegetation to gain the extra land?

[realists]

We're meant to clear it out. [ does jyn? not usually. look if the planet wants to reclaim what is its own, jyn isn't going to stop it. whoops. ]

It you want... Cassian and I could take you.

[ is that allowed? does jyn care? who knows. ]

[scholiast]

(Ah, she kinda seems like she doesn't clear it out, from how she answered. Lucretia grins again.)

Oh– you don't have to. (It's a kind offer, but what Lucretia really wants is to get out there by herself at have at the wilderness. Besides, she only wants to go out there to take notes, get a few sketches of the landscape in. Anybody who tried to go with her would end up bored after five minutes.)

Thank you, though.

[realists]

If you're sure.

[ jyn isn't one to push, so she doesn't ask or make the offer again, shrugging instead. lucretia can make her own choices, the end. ]

[scholiast]

(She nods, relieved when Jyn doesn't press any further. Perhaps if she knew her better, it would be easier to accept; but until then, Lucretia vastly prefers her alone time.)

I might see you out there at some point, though.