Birthday Party

[peripheries]

Who: Paul Atreides and all his CR
What: Throwing everyone’s favorite Duke a surprise birthday party
When: Forwarded dated to April 1st
Where: Bone House in Gaze

Content Warnings: Drinking, underage drinking, drugs (both fictional and not), drawings of space worms, skeletons, will add further warnings if necessary



When you arrive at the house in Gaze, (affectionately known as Bone House), a skeleton will open the door and offer to take your coat if you have one. No need to take your shoes off or anything!

The large house has been decorated with black streamers and confetti. In the entryway and hung on the railing to the second floor that overlooks the entrance to the great room are large banners that say “HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL” (though one looks like it used to say “Jaune” but was just painted over? Whatever).

In the Living Room, there is a large board and various colored markers for people to write messages to the birthday boy. There is also a table full of bottled water and various couches, chairs, and beanbags to collapse into if the party gets to be too much and one needs a quiet place to rest or a place to chill if you’ve imbibed too much… well, whatever you had.

It is also where all the food and drinks are.

There’s an extremely large charcuterie board with the usual meats, cheeses, and olives as well as an extremely eccentric collection of snacks ranging from individual sized Cheez-it bags, to humungous bags of Doritos and salty chips, as well as nearly every kind of Oreo one can imagine.

There are also various cakes, all angel food. Some are misshapen, some have an attempt at being frosted with whipped cream and fruit, one even says “Happy Birthday Ka-” before that was hastily covered with a bunch of strawberries jammed really close together.

At the island, a skeleton is playing bartender. Surprisingly, it can seem to take and understand individual orders, but there’s always a constant flow of tequila shots being made and sent out to the great hall to be served by another skeleton.

And, no, of course it’s not going to check your age to see if you’re legal. It’s a skeleton. Why would it care?

The Great Hall is the center of activity and where everyone is encouraged to mingle and have fun. There is a skeleton on the grand piano in the corner gleefully playing piano covers of the hits from the Shrek Soundtrack with the occasional cover of “DaRude’s Sandstorm” when it has another one to help out.

In another corner, on huge piece of paper that spans nearly 6ft wide and 8ft tall is drawing of an Arrakis sandworm and it’s giant maw. The game is Pin the Tooth on the Sandworm and it’s… very easy… because the worm maw is most of the board. Even if the skeleton spins you as you’re blindfolded, it’s pretty hard to lose. If you manage to do it, which is likely, the skeleton running the game will award you a tequila shot! If you lose, the skeletons will award you a tequila shot (but it’s rail).

(It’s a drinking game, isn’t the point to drink?)

There’s also a table that has many candelabras on it, numbering up to seventeen. They’re still lit and burning even though there is a sign that says “make a wish!” even though it almost looks like a shrine for the dead.

…It’s maybe clear that the concept of “birthday candles” was greatly misunderstood.

There is also a skeleton dealing out small doses of “Spice”, a psychoactive drug straight outta the Duneverse. However, you must check in with this Skeleton to get a dose. There will be no “permanently melting your brain with ancestral memories” at this party!

Teacher’s/God’s/Jod’s/The Emperor Undying’s study, adjacent to the main hall, is closed and locked. Though, the lock is fairly easy to break if someone really wanted to get in. There’s not even skeletons guarding.

That said, many things are warded with eerie runes of blood and bone.

So, fuck around and find out.

The upstairs is generally off limits. Party goers can climb up the stairs, and it’s encouraged if they want to look over the Great Room from above, but all of the bedrooms are carefully guarded by more skeletons who will SCREAM VERY LOUDLY if you try to enter and will become hostile if done by force.

Of course, this won’t happen if you are with someone who lives in the house.

Enjoy the party! Mingle away!

((ooc: if you have any questions or anything, please hit me up at worldtype)) or via PM.))

Birthday Board | At the Party | The Morning After | IC Party Games | Spice Dealer

Comments

kaworu nagisa | evangelion | OTA

[peripheries]

cw: underage drinking

Early in the night
[There he is.

The orchestrator. The planner. The mastermind.

You’ll certainly see Kaworu at the party, though he’s a little hard to actually catch. He is in constant motion, darting from room to room to ensure everything is in order. He has to make sure there are abundant snacks, that the candles are still lit, and the skeletons are playing the music correctly and are properly handing out tequila shots as worm game prizes. It’s a lot! Plus his head is buzzing a little from the tequila shots he took while trying to learn the proper ritual to do so (salt, liquor, then lime, he has it memorized by now, he thinks).

Then, finally, he gives himself a moment to pause. He perches on the staircase railing that overlooks the Great Room, back resting against the wall, one arm looped around a knee pulled close to his chest and just watches the hustle and bustle of the party.

There’s a smile on his face, softer, and more delicate than the smug one he likes to wear around as a shield.

Pride is an odd feeling but enjoyable all the same.]

Later in the night

[Kaworu still likes to go to his little perch throughout the night. There’s a swell of emotions within him when he sees everything that’s happening that he keeps going back to, hoping each time he might be able to understand exactly what each feeling is.

He doesn’t. He can’t easily name all of them. “Pride” isn’t enough to capture everything. So all he can do is enjoy the feeling and the knowledge that he helped put it all into motion.

However, when he leaps down from his perch down into the Great Room, floating to soften his landing, he stumbles over his own feet and into… well. You. He has to grab your arm to keep upright (thankfully he’s very tiny). Then he straightens, looking a little confused at how that happened.]

Heyyy. Good party right? Have you done… [There’s a helpless gesture at the wall with the worm that now has many many teeth.] Worm? Paul loves the worms. You should… you should do the worm.

[Ah, it’s that type of party when the host gets hammered and just opens everything up to go off the rails.]

Wildcard
[Feel free to hit him up with almost everything as he'll be out and about everywhere! Contact me at worldtype, PM, or Discord at trevelyan#6066]

early in the night

[terriblepurpose]

[This party has been a surprise in more ways than one already. Paul has never known Kaworu to sink his hands this deep into messy human details before, which may be why he's had surprising trouble tracking him down until the angel ends back up in one of his more usual perches. Or maybe that's part of another of the surprises - Kaworu's unexpected talent for misdirection.]

There's my guardian angel.

[Paul sidles up to Kaworu's perch with a soft smile of his own, face slightly flushed from his own experimentation with the amber-colored liquor.]

I can't believe you got me.

[His reproach is lightly teasing; the weight of feeling underneath it is not.]

[peripheries]

[Kaworu expected Paul to find him eventually. It's not like he was hiding. He just wanted to ensure that Paul had a chance to go out and experience his party, the gifts, the messages, the people before needing to overthink things or get answers that he might focus on instead.

He turns and leans to face Paul (failing to notice that he has to unconsciously grip the railing to keep himself steady thanks to the same liquor experimentation)]

You're easier to get thank you think. And it's part of being a guardian, isn't it?

[terriblepurpose]

[Reflexively, Paul reaches out to steady Kaworu, and then it's natural for his hand to stay there, just in case. The fact that Kaworu can both fly and is almost immune to danger from injury are, as he reminds the other boy on a semi-regular basis, beside the point. People look out for each other.]

Apparently I am. And how would I know? I'm just a human. We don't know anything.

[Which is funny, when Paul thinks about it. He laughs a little louder than he usually does, which still isn't much to write home about.]

[peripheries]

[Kaworu leans easily into Paul’s grip and laughs when Paul laughs. He doesn’t mind that it’s too loud, he just likes to hear it and the warmth it stirs in his chest.]

Well, it was good this time. It made it easier. So I forgive you.

[terriblepurpose]

[Paul's instinct is to ruffle Kaworu's hair, as he usually does whenever it seems necessary to deflate his ego slightly. But it doesn't seem appropriate now, not after all the work Kaworu put in on his behalf.]

Thank you.

[He squeezes Kaworu's shoulder to underscore his gratitude.]

For forgiving me, and the party. It's a good one. [No, not quite.] It's a very good one.

[peripheries]

...I just wanted to hear you laugh like that. And you can't thank me for forgiving you. It's your birthday, you have to forgive someone on their birthday.

Or so I understand.

[He leans closer so their foreheads are nearly touching.]

I'm glad. I... wanted it to be a very good one.

later; wildcard; draw me like one of your french broccolis

[wannasmash]

cw: the teens did space drugs
Because sitting guilelessly with no thought to giving an interesting angle was apparently unacceptable, Midoriya, in a fit of pique, decided to copy Paul. Not the Paul sitting with him and a drawing pad on the couch, but the Paul who strutted in with different clothes a little while ago, before Midoriya's spice mishap peaked then ebbed.

Midoriya isn't a good actor; his face remains in its calmly euphoric state as he openly stares too much at Paul, who is nice to look at and breathtakingly limned in what some might call "the shrimp colors." However, as anyone who spars with him can attest, Midoriya is very good at copying moves. The precise angle of his head is not a mockery but an exact clone of the birdlike cant Paul used to debut his earrings.

Paul can't complain. It's his move, so to speak, and it's good. Midoriya doesn't have earrings to show off, just a new haircut, shorter and trendier than usual, that will still grow out in a matter of weeks.

[terriblepurpose]

It is a good move. It's one that Paul's mother taught him, and Paul absently thinks that she would approve of Midoriya's form. It draws attention to the subtle musculature of his neck where it meets his newly broadened shoulders, slants light just so across his freckle-dusted cheekbones, and that's before the fascinating layering of his hair comes into play.

"I'm nearly done," Paul assures him, lightly flecking the notebook tilted upward in his lap to conceal the work in progress. He sits up and back to examine it with a certain exaggerated carefulness, the tip of his tongue peeking from one side of his mouth as he runs his hand (still holding his pencil) through his hair. It makes the shirt he has to concede is slightly too small rise up again, but Paul has larger concerns on his mind, like distinguishing the number of freckles that exist from the number he sees.

It seems fair that Midoriya is looking at him back, since he's been such a good sport about the drawing. Paul has never appreciated looking at things so much before, or been able to perceive their subtle liminal glow.

[peripheries]

"What are you two doing?"

Enter the angel who, despite clearly having stolen one of Paul's nondescript black t-shirts in a sort of revenge, comes in looking like an absolute fashion model with his hair pulled back and eyeliner done perfectly.

He flops down on the couch, kicking his lanky (for his relative height) legs over Midoriya's lap and resting his messy dandelion hair against Paul's stomach, shoulders coming to settle in his lap. Kaworu takes the sketch book and tilts it further in his direction to better examine it like he's some sort of tiny, eldritch, art director. There's a nod, "not bad", but his overall expression is like someone trying to decide if they want to swipe right on a dating profile. He can never decide if Midoriya is handsome or just cute. This drawing makes him lead a little towards "handsome".

"It's cute."

[wannasmash]

To Midoriya's credit, he remains still, apart from a small huff of surprised breath. His small revenge (copying Paul) worked out, the drawing is almost done, and the spice helps. When everything pulses with rainbow light and he can still feel the imprints of emotions around him, it's hard not to calmly lose himself in it all. Still, he has to blink away the afterimage of someone flopping down, catlike, and his augmented nerves clamor for importance when the slight weight of legs tumbles on him. Even the hairs on his arms tingle.

"Paul-kun hasn't said anything, so I don't think he wants you to spoil it," he says, low and dreamlike.

It's been two months since he came back from home and reacclimated to his memories here. He recognizes the feeling for what it is now: It's less confusing this way, being pretty sure why his eyes linger on the rise of Paul's shirt a few seconds longer. As long as no one draws attention to it or flusters him, Midoriya enjoys an inner peace knowing that, yes, boys are cute.

Midoriya is less cute these days. His smiles are warm but hushed, his laugh a rare surprise even to himself. Even the faint pink tint that blooms on his cheeks as Kaworu reminds him he's under scrutiny isn't accompanied by stuttering or moving. The forest dragged something relentless and resolute from within him and put it on the outside. It lowered his lids, dampened the expressive freedom of his mouth, and put shadows in his voice.

There is a stamp of permanence to it like the doubling of his scars. Nothing will be the same, including him, but the party helps to remind him of happy times. Sometimes, when Midoriya is caught off guard with a bright smile, Kaworu's hard work pays off not only for the birthday boy, but also for the people around him who joined the same fight.

[terriblepurpose]

Paul is accustomed to Kaworu's tendency to fling himself around without regard for gravity. His stomach braces reflexively before the mild impact, then softens underneath Kaworu once more to form a rather flat but still warm cushion.

"Midoriya-kun is right, but you won't, will you, Kaworu?" Paul accommodates the tipping of the notebook for inspection readily. His own inspection of Kaworu's face is the reciprocal other half of it - he's too much a Bene Gesserit not to appreciate the fleeting and subtle arts of self-expression. So he resists the urge to card through Kaworu's gathered hair, settling for a fond brush of knuckles across his cheek.

It's good, being like this. Having two of his friends so close, tangled together, reassuringly corporeal. Midoriya may be trying not to lose himself in the moment, but Paul is long-lost to joyous thoughtlessness.

So he leans in to whisper to Kaworu, with skill born of extensive practice: "It's him as a girl. Don't say anything."

The picture Kaworu has examined is a reasonably good one. It captures Midoriya's expression in the instants of his bright smiles well, and highlights his best features flatteringly without veering from reality. In fact, it barely veers from reality at all, besides the penciled application of eyeliner much like Kaworu's own.

later in the night!

[grice]

[ oof— despite the ruckus of the party later into the evening, falco has kept himself relatively calm, especially when he had an egg on board! said egg has been wrapped around his front in a sling, cracks its little eyes open before— its eyes disappear. an egg with eyes? you’re just seeing things.

besides that, falco keeps his arms out to steady kaworu in the first place, especially if the teen angel decided to fall forward. he didn’t want an omelette all over them both, plus— the bridge of falco’s nose crunches at the smell of alcohol exhaled from the other’s breath, brows furrowing into concern. ]

How much’ve you had to drink, Mister Kaworu?

[ how much has . . . everyone!! had to drink!! ]

[peripheries]

[Falco has to set a good example for the baby! Good job Falco.

Thankfully, there's no risk of the egg ending up over easy as Kaworu does manage to right himself thanks to Falco's assistance. He ends up, not exactly shaky on his feet, but like he's a little confused about how gravity works and keeps leaning this way or that.]

Oh. Is counting a thing you should do?

[grice]

[ counting, exactly, no, but falco's brows end up with a kink between them anyway as he says, inwardly but not exactly quietly: ]

Pacing yourself is something you should do . . . [ and something most people don't do, but that goes without saying. ] Maybe you should sit— before you fall.

[ or start being an embarrassment but that's everyone here, it seems! falco is having a hard time keeping his hands away from the angel, hovering by him with caution and fear that he really might just fall flat any minute. ]

[peripheries]

Oh.

What's the pace supposed to be? It seems like everyone has their own.

[Because... well, as stated, everyone is on the precipice of being an embarrassment! Paul is probably already there but as it's his birthday, it's his right and no one can call him out on it.

Kaworu tries to start moving, gesturing at some of the things around them.]

Falco! Have you played the "pin the tooth on the sandworm"? It might be harder with the baby egg. Egg baby? But still.

[grice]

[ it's true. why is it true? it shouldn't be true. but, alas— tequila is a bane and he can't keep adults from having drinks no matter how annoying or awkward it is during or how bad it is the next day. falco goes wordless for a few moments, holding his tongue to not actually say what's on his mind (the right pace is not getting drunk in the first place), and as kaworu begins to move his hands hover after, only falling back to his side when he's sure he won't lose his balance. when "egg baby" gets mentioned— he curls his hand beneath the lump in his sash. ]

I've watched? [ he was so focused on the cooking, and then after that, eating and hanging out with the initial celebration, and then after that, steering clear from drinks and the rising volume coming from the rowdiness that he was possibly more ready to find a corner to rest in than go on with the night. let's face it, too: it's past his and confetti's bedtime, and as much as he loves paul like he does colt, and feels friendly with others here, it doesn't feel like he quite belongs the later it gets. ] Confetti's pretty secure . . . Are you alright enough to go there?

Later in the night- with preemptive apologies for his behavior

[detonating]

[Katsuki originally had planned to dip out early, but considering well. The state of Midoriya, both prior to this party, his state currently and weighing those things to who he knows have also arrived in Trench around the same time that he did? He's decided to stay, despite absolutely hating the atmosphere and the reasons why. Socializing in general and admitting to himself that he gives a fuck about Izuku's well being on a deep enough level to babysit (just distantly keeping an eye on him is more the reality of it) his drunk ass are two things that definitely aggravate the fuck outta Katsuki... and thus, he is not in a good mood when he gets bumped into.]

Oi--!!

[Fucking grabbed. Held onto for a second. By, unbeknownst to the blond, the host of the party. All he can do is look affronted--in a supremely bitchy way, and think of this person as yet another drunk dumbass. If this were a year ago, Katsuki would've fucking creamed this asshole instantly for daring to touch him and hang out in his personal space at all. But he's learning to be better, so all that happens is a shake off and a step back.]

Hahh? [He goes from irritated surprise to a hard knit scowl real fast when the person actually speaks to him.] Worm? [Do the fucking worm????? Now it's disgust that takes over the blond's face, just briefly.

Like the embarrassing as HELL dance move?! No?? He follows the gaze to the worm wall, and then looks at the dude like he's maybe sprouted two more heads.] I have no fuckin' clue what the hell that's even about, so fuck no! [He's just a guy, conned into coming by another stupid guy, who literally knows no one or anything except for the fact that Birthday Boy apparently died in a battle a while back.

Someone fucking kill him. Why did he agree to this, again????]

lmfao no worries

[peripheries]

You seem upset. Are you anxious? I've heard humans get anxious in crowds sometimes. Especially if they don't know anyone.

[He's leaning close! Curiously! Luckily, he can't get all that close face wise because he is... not very tall but the intent is there.

He turns and gestures to one of the skeletons walking around with drinks. There's tequila shots, various mixed drinks with tequila, and of course wine and beer.]

This is supposed to help with that.

[detonating]

[Of course this fucker has to lean in even closer. It's got Katsuki leaning away, his expression of disdain only tightening into an even worse scowl.]

I ain't fucking anxious! [Not true, but he just feels mad about it as a whole and therefore doesn't acknowledge that this shrimp is probably right. He doesn't do well in crowds, and especially not party crowds, apparently. Not knowing anyone definitely doesn't help, so yeah... he nailed it right on the head, even if Katsuki is going to deny it until he is blue in the face. His fingers twitch at his side with the desire to either shove dude away, or blast him right into hell. Something he doesn't act on, thankfully.

No, he just sneers down his nose at the suggestion of using shots to loosen up.]

I'm not an idiot, unlike the rest of you. Seems like a really bad move to get drunk in a place like Trench. What're you all gonna do when something batshit goes down, hah??

later in the night

[lipochrome]

[ Gideon, to her embarrassment, sways a little when Kaworu stumbles into her. She must be drunker than she thought. She recovers quickly, though, laughing and scooping Kaworu up before setting him down again. He weighs like five whole pounds! ]

Oh, trust me. I've done the worm. [ Gideon claps him on the back, for emphasis. ] You know what they call me? They call me...

[ Gideon pauses, her inebriation possibly ruining a bit of her comedic timing. ]

...Big-Worm Griddle. That's what they call me.

[peripheries]

[He makes a light whoop when she lifts him up. This is a singular privilege that Gideon is allowed. Everyone else he would float away from.

Once set down, he leans against her.]

Oh? How many did you get on the board?

[lipochrome]

[ Gideon squints over in the direction of the board, as if counting. ]

At least four, I think. That's a lot of worms. I've never even seen that many worms all at once. [ Gideon nods sagely, realizing something. ] That's why this party's the best ever. Because of all the worms.

[peripheries]

I added all of the worms because Paul likes them so much.

[He grips her arm.]

Should all parties have worms?

[lipochrome]

[ oh, no, Kaworu is taking something seriously! Gideon pats his little hand. ]

Well, the only other party I've been to had no worms. But it did have murder. So I think the worms are better, personally.

You do pay a lot of attention to what Paul likes, don't you? [ grinning! like a little shit!! gideon is the worst ]