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

Sayo Yasuda | Umineko | OTA

[forwantofahorse]

cw: underage substance use

a. early in the night
Just... get me something, Goat-kun. I need to start loosening up at some point.

[Sayo, sighing, flicks the golden butterfly perched on their index finger into the crowd, presses their back further into the wall of the great hall as soon as the familiar flutters out of sight... then pulls out their printed copy of Fell and Foul Play (they'd never gotten to read the radio plays, and there was apparently a previously-unpublished short story in the collection that they were excited about) and starts reading.

When Sayo arrived at the Bone House, they realized in short order that they had a critical lack of information. That is, Sayo Yasuda has never been to or even had a birthday party in their entire life. Sure, Jessica had organized some corny celebrations for Shannon that mostly consisted of cupcakes, a trinket or two as a present, and her and Mannen's company, but it wasn't really a party. And so Sayo had drastically underestimated what, exactly, they were showing up to in a white button-down shirt and faded jeans.

What made it worse is that while Sayo sorta knew Paul and Kaworu, and was friends-ish with The Necromancer and Paul... they realized the moment they stepped in the door that they had absolutely no idea what their wider social circle was like.

So they'd panicked, skulked over to the nearest socially acceptable corner, and started fretting about when the appropriate hour to get absolutely smashed so that they could be properly social would arrive.

And then a very proud goat demon dragging another party guest (or proper resident of the venue) by the wrist marches up to Sayo, whuffling happily. It's rather difficult to resist when half a ton of very polite goat muscle appears out of nowhere, clamps onto your wrist, and marches to elsewhere at the party.

Sayo stares at the situation before them for a few moments, whatever gears behind their eyes that were in the process of breaking down the components of a murder mystery grinding to a halt and collapsing at the sight.]

Goat-kun, I-

What did you-

How-

[They scream into their hands, face flushed.]

I- I- I must apologize, I, um, I should've known better than to give a goat such vague instructions...

[Goat-kun's ears droop and his back hunches further, apparently unhappy at being scolded.]

b. later in the night
[Apparently, the appropriate hour to get absolutely smashed so that Sayo could be properly social has arrived—either that, or Goat-kun finally brought them some actual liquor after a series of predictable-in-hindsight foibles. And Sayo has taken to it with gusto.

All of those nights having quiet—and occasionally rowdy—drinks with Kainé and Neo have paid off in full, as once the gnawing anxiety fades under the gentle hum of the best kind of shitty liquor available Sayo remembers their few brushes with fun in Trench. Sayo almost ruins their own enjoyment of the atmosphere by scoffing at how cliché it is to find confidence in the memories of their friends, but despite the cheesiness, it works well enough to at least get them out of their corner and into the party.

They started by walking up to the dance floor and bobbing their head to the beat. When Sayo realized that they were the picture of an awkward nerd and had a vision of George attending one of Jessica's concerts (for once, remembering their names doesn't bring a fresh spike of pain), they took another shot of tequila and loosened up; looking away as if they could avoid acknowledging themself and their amateur dancing, but at least their limbs were actually moving. Once they stumbled past the initial self-consciousness, it felt freeing to shuffle along to the music, to get their blood circulating, to feel like- and with a start, Sayo realizes that this is the first time they've felt like a normal teenager ever. Without the layers of artificiality, without the overwhelming horror of Trench or the reminders of their father's alcoholism over their head... it brings a mixed, melancholy joy to finally trip and fall into an experience that was normal for people like Jessica. If Jessica didn't have a mother that was so intensely controlling, at any rate.

Sayo just needed to do one more thing to complete the night.

Face flushed, Sayo slaps their own cheeks a few times to get their head in the game. A deep breath, in and out. It doesn't matter who, they just need to get out there and-]

Will you... [Sayo looks down at their shoes, blushing even as they extend a hand.] Will you dance with me? I mean, can I have this dance?

[If the strangely genuine atmosphere of the party had been slightly different, there was a chance that Sayo could've been a smooth operator. Putting on Beatrice's grin, raise their eyebrows at a calculated angle... but as it stands, you get a weapons-grade dork.]

c. latest in the night
...spice doesn't mean, um. A spice like cinnamon, does it? I'm just realizing that now. [Sayo says, looking queasy as they stare down at the hors d'oeurve that they've just sprinkled with a liberal helping of spice and taken a bite out of.

Oh no.]

c

[hauntedsavior]

[welcome to paul's wider social circle. sure hope nobody has any unresolved negativity towards this androidinous girl who has been partying pretty hard with everyone else all night. she walks over to this person who she is certain is about to have a very bad time, nursing her own beer and coming down from a spice trip of her own.]

Oh, no, you don't wanna overdo that. This might suck for a bit if what Paul told me about it is right. [she's unfamiliar with spice, but familiar with plenty of other things (even if she'd never done them, which explains why she'd snorted some spice earlier with an almost comical level of difficulty). her own exploits aside, she does seem a more than just a token level of concerned.]

You ever do anything like this before? Weed or shrooms or anything, I mean.

[forwantofahorse]

[Sayo has been telling themself that they're over Kainé for over a month now. They'd moved too slowly and lost to Anna fair and square. There had even been an agonizing text sent to her about Sayo forcing themself to move past their unfulfilled feelings, thanks to Mother Mercy's tender ministrations coming back for a second round after they'd refused to learn their lesson from chopping themself into pieces. Sayo had moved on with their life.

And then their childhood crush confessed her love to Sayo and immediately followed it up with declaring that she never wanted to see them again (with good reason; instigating the murder of Jessica's entire family was enough to put a damper on youthful romance all on its own, not to mention the several other reasons why they probably shouldn't date), leaving a gaping hollow in Sayo's heart. Knowing that it was inevitable didn't dull the pain, or the desire to find something, someone else to fill the void. Or, in modern parlance:

Sayo was down bad. who won't me indeed. And that void only worsened when they saw Kainé walk in on Anna's arm.

Their mind shrieks down this train of thought parallel to two others about why the spice tasted like the cookies Genji used to make and musing about a locked room trick Sayo had been struck with inspiration with until they collide in a messy wreck then impossibly keep going, all in the space of two seconds, and they can only feel their brain accelerating from there.]

Hm, no, that's a logic- wait. Er. Yes. Water. That's good, [they say, moderately dazed as they start to feel uncomfortably aware of their every extremity.] And... no.

Why would garden plants make you high, anyways?

[hauntedsavior]

[that's a bit of a weird... well, she doesn't understand the start of it, at least. but it sounds like this kid is just. totally over her head. this trip is gonna be really wild. she might as well engage big sister mode now so she can turn it off later if she needs to. she shakes her head gently.]

Weed's not actually a weed. It's just a nickname for marijuana. [she sounds like a cop saying the full name of it.] But this is bigger than weed. Listen, I just came down myself. You're probably gonna feel really good for a while. Gonna start feeling connected to other people in ways that don't make a lot of sense.

[she's about to ask a question that she doesn't know she probably won't like the answer to, but she doesn't really care.]

Is there anyone around here you don't wanna be connected with? That way we can get you away from them so this trip stays as good as it can get.

[forwantofahorse]

[Sayo giggles, but their laugh has a cracking, jagged edge to it that makes it clear that it's a reflexive cackle rather than finding anything truly funny at the situation. Then Sayo winces, feeling every inch of their skeleton shaking ever so slightly from the vibrations. (They can tell they're at the threshold to a hall of mirrors, and the witch's laugh echoes through its corridors until it reaches their ears and spews from their mouth.)

At least they're still cogent enough to properly respond to Anna's words.]

I- [They squint, shaking their head.] I can't imagine why anyone would enjoy being so burdensomely aware of their entire body like this. It's... bizarre.

On the other hand, I've written three new chapters for my new mystery in the past twenty seconds and forgotten all of them, so maybe it has its-

Right. Right. I... Ruby Rose. Wouldn't want to talk to her normally, but- this. This would make it even more difficult.

[Sayo squints again, looking closer.]

And...

Who's your sister?

[hauntedsavior]

[though anna's first impulse is to say "why ruby, ruby's great", no, like. she gets it. she wouldn't want ruby rose to be her bad trip buddy either. it's the follow-up that gives her pause; her hand comes to her chest, curls slightly—it's a gesture for a different person, but her brain doesn't know what else to do.]

My sister isn't... here. [there's a glimmer of hope behind her eye, but it disappears fast.] No, I would've found her by now. Um. I don't know who you're talking about.

[god. maybe her sister is here. anna already knows beth wouldn't recognize her. why can't that go both ways?]

[forwantofahorse]

[Sayo also caused the deaths of Ruby's girlfriend's family, so the two of them bumping into one another here would put a damper on the atmosphere.

Especially while Sayo's high as balls.

The guilt from that stray idea is like pouring gas on the coal fire of Sayo's trainwreck of thought, visibly dazing them... before they claps their cheeks, forcing themself to concentrate on Anna. Any part of her. Except her chests. Staring there was probably unacceptable, after all she was taken-

Fuck

Right, right, right, she asked a question a few hours ago. Or a few minutes ago. Or a few seconds ago. That last one was right. Probably.]

Not a... physical sibling. An outline around you. An... idea? It's familiar to me, at least. That's how I thought of it.

C

[the_obedient_servant]

Beato, why are you the way you are?

[Chara says this, but they straight up did have spice and then immediately regret it. So they reset, as one does. They hope nobody noticed the brief hiccup of three seconds.]

I'll... get you some water.

[forwantofahorse]

[No witch can apparently resist the allure of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, even if it's not cinnamon, toast, or crunchy. Sayo sways back and forth, eyes stuck wide open as they start feeling the entirety of their body with uncanny precision. Not even the low hum of pleasure from the spice makes up for how uncomfortable that is, given how ill-at-ease Sayo is in their body even on their best days.]

Like that old r- water. Yes.

Can you lead me to a water, I mean, chair? I am too aware of all my limbs to be confident in my ability to walk right now.

[the_obedient_servant]

[They let out a long-suffering sigh. Time to babysit their adult friend after she accidentally ate shrooms.]

I will lead you to the water chair. A chwateir. Science's latest innovation. [They take Sayo's arm and start leading her toward the sofa. Once she's been safely lain down, they will go retrieve water. But only then.]

[forwantofahorse]

Drinkable chairs. Perfect for mobile tea parties. [Even they can't tell whether they're quipping or if the spice is seeping deeper into their nervous system.

They at least don't resist being sat down by Chara, even as their eyes glaze over after they leave. When Chara comes back, Sayo tilts their head to the side, puzzled.]

...why are there so many of you?

[the_obedient_servant]

...There's any number of responses to that question, depending on what you see. [They raise their eyebrows. Their soul glows brighter. They put the water in front of Sayo.]

[forwantofahorse]

[Sayo sips from the glass of water. That they don't actually have in their hands yet. They blink, shake their head, actually pick up the water- wait, no, that was just them envisioning the steps needed to hydrate themself.

Take three gets Sayo there, at least.]

It's as if... there's a line of yous behind you, stretching infinitely toward the horizon, but the horizon doesn't exist because I see it in two dimensions.

[Sayo pauses.]

I am never going to get high again if it means that I get even more insufferable than usual. My god.

[Concentrating intensely, Sayo takes another sip in reality.]

The... closest? one looks smarmy. I feel like I should be giving that "you" a snappy comeback but I don't know why so I'm vaguely dissatisfied.

later in the night

[peripheries]

[Kaworu has never danced before. He understands the idea that you need someone to dance with and he doesn't. And while he's easily intoxicated enough to ask and, quite frankly, would ask completely sober, he'd forgotten about doing so entirely.

He's sipping on bottle of water forcibly put into his hands by someone (probably Teacher or Izuku-kun) when Sayo asks. He glances over them. It's a little ironic for a monster to ask a monster to dance? Then again who even would be Beauty or the Beast here, they're both.

Kaworu finishes the water, takes another shot, and takes their hand.]

Alright, Sayo-san. Let's dance.

[forwantofahorse]

Thank you, Kaworu-san.

[It's true; usually, it's the charming prince or beautiful princess who asks the beast for a dance. But Sayo lacks either, and while Kaworu certainly lacks the former... perhaps he can extend some sympathy to a fellow monster.

(Maybe they can even get some black tea to enjoy with each other later. A first step toward proper friendship, rather than the bloody, ragged bond formed by picking the shards of a mirror from each other's knuckles in the catacombs.)

Sayo hesitantly grasps his hand, blushing from their own awkwardness. They begin to just... bob back and forth. Step forward, step back. Step forward, step back.]

I'm sorry, I- I don't really know how to dance. Although I suppose that's why I asked in the first place.

Never really had the chance.

[peripheries]

You don't need to address me in such a formal way.

[He finds, oddly, that he doesn't want Sayo to put up distance with formalities. Perhaps, because that means letting what happened in the catacombs have a deeper hold on him than he would like. There's already things weighing him down and he doesn't want to add more.]

Neither have I. So let's see-

[He taps his foot a few times, syncing with the beat of the bass drum as it plays a very common "four on the floor" rhythm. Then he takes their other hand and pulls them along to step with him to one side and then back in time to the beat.]

You just have to find the movement of the song and move with it.

[forwantofahorse]

[Monsters in human skin are the only ones who can understand the pain of forcing their hearts into an unfamiliar mold, or know how it feels to be hauled up from hell or dragged down from heaven into the agonizing realm of vulnerability and emotion. (Literal inhumanity or not.)

Bonds formed from hearts bleeding onto the floor are not so easily broken as ones of blood.

Forward and back, like the pendulum of the clock. The rhythm was comfortable, easing Sayo into the musical cogs propelling the song forward without missing a beat.]

...I thought it would be harder. [They laugh, lacking their usual cackling quality.] Is that strange?

It seems like distance really does engender fear.

[peripheries]

Hmm. I think there's more complicated moves but... for now we're just learning. It's okay to take that time. And it's easy to assume it's harder than you know.

[It's something the Old Man had said to him. Something Paul had echoed. It's okay to learn slowly. It's easy to desire quick knowledge but it isn't wrong not to have it.]

It does. The distance between hearts is the cause of much confusion.

[forwantofahorse]

True. I hardly need to bust out the ballroom dancing for a birthday party.

[They wink, and while they don't laugh out loud this time, there's a cackling quality to their voice itself.]

I'll leave that to you when you get some time with the man of the hour.

later in the night

[slayerskiss]

[Faith looks at them with faint amusement. It's cute, really, the way they flush.

She recognizes them, vaguely. This is one of Johnny's students. One of his favorites, probably. She never caught their name, though.]

Damn. Fancy. [She smirks, putting on an embarrassingly bad british accent.] You may have this dance, indeed.

[She finishes her drink, puts the glass to the side, and takes the hand that's been so generously offered.]

[forwantofahorse]

[Oh, that smirk Faith gives Sayo does things to their mildly inebriated brain. Sayo may have written Beatrice to practically be boisterous and flirty even in casual conversations with their imagined Battler, but Sayo knows better than most how fiction shatters under the weight of reality.

(Sayo would react the same way to anyone who looked at her even mildly appreciatively in this context. Even being found "cute" as themself is an experience that they've built up little tolerance for.)

Their blush deepens when Faith takes their hand, and they begin stuttering, letting Faith take the lead in the dance.]

W- Well, I'm sorry for being so formal! I've never really gotten to do this before, and this seemed like a good opportunity as any, but I didn't know how to ask s- so I thought I would hedge my bets and be polite...

[slayerskiss]

[In fairness to Sayo, that is objectively the correct response to have to Faith Lehane.

She smiles even wider when Sayo starts stuttering. God. This girl(?) is cute. She never would have thought so from how hardcore she is with all the Cobra Kai stuff, but Faith kind of wants to tease them more.]

Relax, babe, it's cute. [She rests her hand at Sayo's hip.] Want me to show you how it's done?

[forwantofahorse]

Eh-

[Sayo's blush less deepens than burrows when Faith calls them "babe." Even when they've settled into a more androgynous presentation for this party, someone calling them something that affectionate-sounding even as a casual flirt is well uh

oh god her hand's on their hip

If Sayo's face was red before, they become a tomato as they realize where Faith's hand went. How scandalous!!! ...in a good way.

Sayo bites their lip and looking away.]

I'd, um... I'd appreciate that, [they manage to squeak out.] Thank you.

[slayerskiss]

[Faith laughs a little as she closes her eyes and lets herself feel the beat of the music and starts moving in tune with it. The laugh is still breathy and low coming out of her lips.

She moves in a way that's very much not like she has traditional dance training but much more like she's just doing whatever comes to mind.

She does, however, twirl Sayo, just because hearing her get flushed and embarrassed absolutely has not lost it's appeal.]

[forwantofahorse]

[The buzz from the beer, the warm atmosphere of the party, and most importantly the aching loneliness that Sayo has been trying to ignore ever since they amputated Jessica from their life... it all makes Faith's chuckle, her smirk, how close her face is, the way she smoothly moves across the dance floor and guides Sayo through the first party of their life- all absolutely, devastatingly enchanting. They bashfully laugh with Faith, turning their head away and blushing.

And then Faith twirls them, and their mind totally blanks as they stare up at her, agape.]

I- I, um... thanks?

[A pause. Then another snicker.]

I swear I sound smarter than this usually, it's just that, uh, y- you're...

You're really pretty. B- Breathtaking. There! That's a better word!

[The sheer genuineness of that bashful comment is staggering.]