lake party invite + mingle (open)

[channellings]

Who: any and everyone!
Where: the lake and nearby!
When: right now! (july 7th, afternoon)
What: motha 👏 fuckin 👏 lake 👏 party
Warnings: Language (!!!) for now, will be added as needed!



[no, this is not a joke and yes, it's an actual invite to a party over the network from the username: cock.licking.idiot (and no, that's not a joke, either).

those who decide that they'd rather not be square will arrive at some unspecified patch of lake shore (thanks, klaus) at a similarly unspecified time (good work, asshat) to discover that something resembling a slapdash but heartfelt lake party along the northern waterfront. a couple of tables have been dragged out of nearby cabins and now hold a probably inadvisable quantity of foods, at least half of which don't belong at a party by any means. is this what rationing looks like? this is definitely what rationing looks like. there's also an alcohol table, filled pretty sparsely early on in the party but gathering bottles and cans throughout the day. (word of mod says feel free to wing it on what kind of alcohol we have!).

a number of chairs sit in a wobbly line in the stone-filled waterfront sand, most of them not meant for beachgoing but nearly all of them able to recline. about fifty feet down the beach seems to be the splash zone, where all water horseplay exists well out of range of splashing those sitting in beachside chairs. some people dive or cannonball off the mostly-sturdy pier, while others seem to be batting around a-... is that a beach ball they have? no, it seems to be a balloon that says "get well soon". how fitting. please, someone bring them a fucking beach ball.

(this is a mingle! go ahead and make top-levels or tag into other people's.)]

Comments

[arecompatible]

[There's nothing wrong with wanting to keep ones distance around strangers, but in a place like this, with the threat of danger hanging over their heads... it's good to have allies. Not that Simon is seeking her out for that, maybe a touch of pity, though mostly he sees a lot of himself in her setting herself a part from what's going on.]

No it's not that, I guess... maybe I'm sort of in the same boat as you.

[Technically.]

But I do know that parties are supposed to be fun. You hang out with friends or make new ones.

[Simon glances her way for a second, then back to the party.]

I'd say you should have a drink, but it looks like the majority of what's there is alcohol so. Perhaps not.

[lethechained]

[ Naminé's brows raise slightly at the response. It's not often she's shared a metaphorical boat with someone, and his claim of such a similarity makes her wonder about the specifics. Most people have had more opportunity than she has to experience revelries - but perhaps that's assuming too much. Despite her piqued curiosity, she holds her tongue instead of inquiring further. (Would it be prying?)

Her hesitation persists thereafter, held in place by the mention of that word; friends. Of course, then another term comes along and shakes her out of it, causing her to give a startled glance at the refreshments table. ]

It is? [ She wouldn't know the difference between alcohol and the other drinks - not by sight, anyway. Most of her memories, secondhand and otherwise, don't really cover that sort of thing. (Even the types of liquor they probably actually have in the worlds she's familiar with.) ] … In that case, I'm glad I didn't try anything when I was over there earlier.

[ Because that would not have been a pleasant surprise. The frown on her features, however, has less to do with that fact and owes more to Simon's other suggestion. She seems to be considering it carefully, probably more so than is warranted. Finally, she admits, a touch somberly and with a small shake of her head, ]

I'm not sure that I'd be any good at making new friends. [ Given what she believes to be her own nature. ] And I don't really...

[ Have any. Except that's something she's less certain of now, in light of the supposed past. She's forgotten a lot, to hear Lalli tell it. It's enough to make her falter, then amend, ]

I don't know many of the people here. [ Which causes her to realize, rather all at once, that she and Simon might share that boat, too. It'd certainly make sense, considering his decision to approach her. Though she's been wary up 'til now, sympathy of her own colors her expression as she turns to regard him, sidelong and shy but with a subtle hint of genuine concern. ]

What about you? Are you all alone?

[ In the broader sense, obviously, not the immediate one. ]

[arecompatible]

[Simon has been to parties and experienced life as humans do, but mostly from the stand point of a servant. An android with no autonomy of his own. He'd been a machine meant to take orders and do what his human masters wanted of him, nothing more or less. Until something changed and he "woke up". So sure, he'd been at a party, but he didn't count that.

Most of his life after waking up had been hiding away from humans and living in a dingy falling apart freighter, wondering when the next of their people would shut down cause they didn't have the means to fix them. Or wondering when the next android would find their hideaway, broken and scared.

Cheerful things like that.]

I could take a better look, maybe someone new to the party has brought something else. Juice or soda. If you're thirsty that is.

[He doesn't mind. Maybe a part of his coding still insists he take care of children or younger humans. Old habits are hard to shake off.]

Mm... I haven't seen anyone I recognize yet, but they may not be here considering. It's kind of odd to throw a party when you're kidnapped don't you think?

[Simon attempts a small bit of humor, mouth quirking slightly.]

This is all pretty unnerving, scary... maybe if not making friends then I guess allies. Friendship can always come later, right?

[lethechained]

[ For her part, her experience with most of life has been secondhand. A great many memories have passed through her grasp; she's learned a lot through the recollections of other people, and seen more than enough to form her own sense of self. But her existence has almost always been limited to isolated cold white rooms, at first against her will and then as a matter of moral obligation. There's an especial loneliness in knowing exactly what you're missing.

And as unaccustomed as she is to kindness, she looks somewhat taken aback by Simon's offer. Not because her caution goes so far as to think he has some nefarious plan in mind, but because it's not every day someone takes enough interest to help her out of the goodness of their heart. (Most of the people she met before coming here didn't even have hearts.) ]

That's very kind of you, [ she responds after it's had a moment to sink in; she still sounds a mite shell-shocked, legitimate though her gratitude is. Her brow knits slightly as she recovers enough to contemplate the suggestion itself, her hands curling together. ] I am getting a little thirsty, but-- I wouldn't want to be any trouble...!

[ Even though he's the one who put forth the possibility of assisting. The rest of what he has to say is much easier for her to parse, and as such she's a bit more relaxed when she admits, her own mouth on the verge of a smile, ]

It is pretty strange. I guess maybe the person who thought we should do this is strange, too.

[ At least, the notion of such a gathering bearing any sort of resemblance to a social event intended to be fun is bizarre. On the more practical side of things, and with a soberer expression, she observes, ]

But it's good for everyone to know who else is here. At least if we've met one another, that's a little less scary. We won't all be total strangers anymore the next time something dangerous happens.

[ To his comment on friendship, she gives a small nod. That's certainly a thought she can agree to, even if she mentally applies it more to normal people than to someone like herself. Naminé's not quite as carefree as one might expect of a girl as young as she is; bemused, she adds, ]

I don't see any reason why we shouldn't look after each other, but...

[ Her eyes skate briefly over the crowd. It's still rather overwhelming, watching them all together like that. There's so much more activity than she's used to. ]

I know not everyone feels that way.

[ A lot of the Organization's members certainly didn't seem to care much for mutual goals; most of them appeared more interested in their own agendas, and that colors her expectations of others to this day. ]