deercountry | Birthday Party

Birthday Party

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

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[no, not even close. she was used to parties where there were more bottles of cheap vodka than there were people and the latest music played at ear-deafening volumes. where molly was as easy to find as yet another bottle of vodka.

this party was warmer somehow, probably because it was a birthday party]

Yeah. Okay, good. And if you need anyone to stay and help clean up, I can do that. I'm good at the whole cleaning thing.

[open mouth, insert foot. "good at the whole cleaning thing?" really?]

Yeah, I can dance like that. Or if you'd like to teach me how you dance, that works, too.

[Paul feigns utter shock at the suggestion of Lexi cleaning, his hand pressed flat to his chest as he shakes his head.]

Stay and clean up? Absolutely not. You'd insult our servants that way?

[He means the skeletons. (And will be surprised to learn, tomorrow, that they're not going to be as helpful as he assumes - although by then, cleaning up will feel like a lighter punishment than he'll deserve.)

He drops his hand and the false shock at the same time, returning to an easy smile.]

I won't tell them about your disparagement if you teach me. Fair?

[Lexi feels herself blushing so hard, she's amazed that she didn't burst into flame. what did darkblood blushing look like, anyway?]

Oh! Yeah. When you put it that way, but...you have servants? Can I borrow them?

[#nailedit.

she's never actually seen ambulatory skeletons in anything but "The Nightmare Before Christmas." they're...kind of cool? though she figures it can't be cool to actually be an ambulatory skeleton and she's overthinking things again, isn't she?

yes. she is. at some point, Lexi Howard will figure out how to be a functional teenage girl, but today doesn't seem to be that day. but she smiles when he smiles. and she nods at his request]

Absolutely fair! I mean, they seem to have everything taken care of, at least from here they do. So, uh. To the dancefloor?

[There's a line where charm begins to become unkindly flustering, and Paul judges that he's toed up to it. So he relents a little, in a way that shouldn't seem like relenting at all, merely an addition of faint shyness under his bright-eyed enthusiasm.]

They're not really mine to lend out. I could ask, if you'd like.

[He thinks she's likely not serious, so he keeps his tone half-teasing, but if she means it, he would ask. It's good for the skeletons to get into the community.]

But yes, please. Lead on. I put myself in your hands.

[Not literally, at least not yet, but he will follow where she goes and stands as she tells him. He's a good student of things like this.]

[if there's one thing Lexi isn't used to, it's when guys around her own age pay attention to her. she was the tall, gangly one compared to Cassie's perfect blonde haired, blue eyed beauty. but she notices that he seemed a little more shy, which eases her mind]

No, no, it's okay, I meant it as a joke. Probably not one of my best ones.

[and apparently he got that. whoops?]

A--all right. It's not that hard, or at least it shouldn't be? Though, I'm not as--as forward as a lot of people are.

[and she leads him to a relatively empty spot amongst partiers] Okay. It's probably easies to raise your hands in the air and move your upper body especially in time to the music? Hips especially, rear end if you feel comfortable doing that?

You wouldn't want to use up your best jokes early, would you?

[Paul grins in a way that flashes teeth and still manages to stay on the side of friendly.]

You haven't seen me dance yet. You might need them. [As he follows her out to the dance floor and takes up a preparatory stance.] I'm not as forward as a lot of people are, either.

[He's used to maintaining a degree of careful reserve, always on his guard for threats social or physical, and a local culture much more austere than this one. So it's not surprising that he is stiff and genuinely awkward when he first begins to follow her instructions and the movements of other dancers.]

No. No, of course not. Though, I'm not sure how well the pop culture stuff would translate?

[she is absolutely certain that she must look like a ripe tomato, but manages to keep from visibly quavering]

Well, I'll do my best to be a good example. [for a moment, she misses the parties back home with their constant loud, rap soundtrack. she'd seen enough people dancing to that in the past] Oh. Really? Then I guess we'll both have to try to do our best?

[she does her best to imitate Maddy, who seemed so comfortable in her own skin as she moves, remembering what she'd said to Lexi once. that confidence was 90% of being accepted and no one could know for sure if confidence was real or fake. to just put on a good face and act like you know what you're doing, so her movements were a little smoother than her usual style]

You sound like a friend of mine.

[One that Paul's been asked not to name to anyone else, for the time being, and he'll abide by that.

Lexi looks like a young woman dancing to Paul, her effort at projecting confidence noticeable and respectable. He knows how much effort goes into looking like you're not trying too hard, and he tries to match it.]

If I don't understand any of your reference, you could always mock me for that, too. It seems like a popular pastime. [He says, good-naturedly, his breathing barely altered by his dancing.] So now I feel a little worried about asking how my dancing is going.

[It is going better. He may be new to this, but he's not new to quickly picking up on physical movements.]

Is that a good thing? I hope it's a good thing.

[that would be respected. if someone asked her to not mention Rue every time Lexi spoke, she'd honor that. even though she only feels like mentioning Rue in every conversation.

think of Maddy, think of Maddy, think of Maddy. effortless cool and confidence, even though the other girl had all but confessed to Lexi that it was all an act. but that made Maddy the best actress Lexi had ever known, not even Meryl Streep could hold a candle to Maddy's act]

No, no, that's rude. And it's your birthday! If you can't expect people to be nice to you for your birthday, when can you? [and his dancing looks natural to her] Good! Great, even! This is your first time dancing like this?

They are my friend. [But, because he does know that can be a complicated subject.] Yes. It's a good thing.

As for when else you can expect people to be nice to you - if you wouldn't mind whispering that into a few ears tonight, I'd appreciate it.

[Paul throws his hands up in time with the music, both dance move and appeal to her kind nature. People should be nice to him on his birthday. Lexi is setting an excellent example, in his opinion - especially with the compliment of the question.]

It is, but thank you.

Oh. Oh, good. [a pause] I'm sorry, it's just that this is my first time being away from my mom, or my sister Cassie. So I'm kind of flying blind.

Sure. Sure I can do that. No problem. [she looks surprised by the request, but pleasantly so.

and she still wishes that there was a rap song to time their movements to, but she'd take what she could get. oh, well. rap was by far not her favorite genre, anyway. 90s angry chick music was, but no one could dance to that]

Hey, it's the least I can do, to give credit where credit is due. You're a natural.

I wouldn't have been able to tell.

[Paul may have been able to tell, just a bit, but he understands what it's like to find yourself unsteady on your feet in a new place. He wonders if the party feels familiar, and if it helps if it does.]

I've had some practice learning new things. [The song is drawing to an end, and Paul drops his arms to his sides, a new and pleasant flush of light exertion on his face.] You're a good dancer, you know.

[He says it casually, stepping from the dance floor and waving her to join him as he plucks two open - open! - topped glasses of water from a passing tray, turning to offer one to her.]

Good. That's good. Thank you!

[it was mostly familiar with the drinking and dancing, but it didn't have any football players doing keg stands. which in her opinion was a vast improvement from home. no football players (as far as she could tell)! yay!]

I'm trying to? At least as far as me doing something for me, other than my mom and sister. [which was a huge step forward for someone used to being the caretaker of the house. but she's relaxed enough from dancing to be more herself] Really? So are you!

[and she follows him off the dancefloor easily, following his direction to join him, taking the glass of water when it's offered] Thank you. Again! Geez, it must seem like I can't say much other than that but I can, I promise.

[If Paul were to end up in a school with football players, they probably would be here doing kegstands, but by the grace of God none of the other most likely suspects (Gideon, primarily) know what a kegstand is, let alone how to perform one successfully - at least so far.

He likes people. It's why he can mingle with a girl like Lexi and another like Harrow with seemingly equal ease, and most of the time it's a good thing.]

I'm not giving you much to work with. If anything, the conversation fault is mine.

[He's still joking, high (somewhat literally) on his good mood and the endorphins of exercise.]

Let's see if I can do better. What are some things you'd like to do for yourself?

[in all fairness, she would laugh her ass off watching guys who weren't originally from Earth trying to do kegstands. and beer pong. it would be absolutely hilarious and she would be there for it. she's not cool, she's never been cool, so to watch the cool try to be cool? it was an endless sort of good cheer.

Lexi is the shy, quiet type. the one who always got passed over by other guys for a dance at the Winter Formal (because she had gone to the Winter Formal and no one asked her to dance). the type who had to grow up too quickly because her older sister and her mother couldn't cope. but she doesn't like to think about it in those terms] Wow. I honestly think this is the only time a cute guy has blamed himself for the lack of conversation. I'm not sure if you should be proud or I should be ashamed.

[she'd tried pot once. well, kind of. Rue had shotgunned her a couple of times and even that was enough to let Lexi know that drugs weren't for her. she didn't like how it let her mind unleash itself and get angry about things. anger didn't help anyone]

Wow. Well...I like to read. I'm an Arcane Scholar and I'm trying to focus on the Arcane part. Specifically alchemy. My world thought it was ridiculous and something which never could come true, but here? Who knows? It might. And we won't know unless we try, right?

[Some combination of the endorphins of dancing and the various pleasant glows of intoxicants allow Paul to take 'cute guy' in relative stride, although he does glance to one side with some degree of remaining modesty. He is striving for cute, by way of handsome. He shouldn't blush at achieving his goals.]

I'd hate for you to be ashamed, so...

[He'll be proud, or so the tilted lift of his chin suggests.]

We don't have magic where I come from either, not like they have here. It's been one of the few things I've appreciated about this place. I think alchemy is more plausible than plenty of things I've seen. [He smiles, half-shrugging.] So are you looking to make gold, or something more esoteric?

[and it's not like Lexi to be so relatively forward, but. it's his birthday and he is a cute guy. no one could fault her for being honest, right?

and she smiles and blushes a little] Well, I'm not. Not even a little tiny bit.

[and she smiles unreservedly]

Yeah, it's unreal. Like something out of a story. [and she chuckles] No, not gold. Gold doesn't seem to interest the merchants here much. But they do seem to like quartz crystals, especially rose quarts and smoky quartz. And amethysts, but who doesn't love amethysts? [and she's babbling. is she babbling?]

[There is no amount of talking about minerals that Paul would consider babbling, especially not when it overlaps with discussing economic systems. He has to all but bite his tongue not to start delving into his thoughts about the 'glittering trinkets' based barter system.]

Crystals may be easier than gold, if alchemy has any relationship to the laws of nature as they are. You can grow quartz in a pressure vessel, though you wouldn't be likely to find the materials for it here -

[That's not better. He laughs at himself, shaking his head.]

I apologize. I keep getting caught up in projects. All I mean is that the principles exist.

[economics wasn't her strongest point at school, but she finds the system here fascinating. and hilarious because people like obscenely rich reality TV stars would actually have to do things like comb the beach for shells, sea glass, and fossils]

It would probably be hard, there used to be these order forms in my dad's old comic books where if you send them a dollar, they'd sell you a grow your own crystals at home kit. But those ads were also next to the ones for x-ray glasses, so I never took them seriously. Though, maybe I should have?

[and she looks a bit alarmed, as though she said something wrong]

No, I mean, you're fine. Do you have any current projects?

[Paul doesn't have a reference point for most of what Lexi says besides 'comic books', which means that he absorbs her mention of x-ray glasses with wide-eyed credulity. After all, growing crystals is possible, as established - so it gives the idea more weight than it otherwise would. It's not like people would just lie about their goods like that in a comic book advertisement.]

When you think of the applications - but we all miss opportunities, from time to time.

[He shrugs expansively, loose in his limbs, hopeful his nonchalance will put her at ease as well.]

A few things. I mostly work on corruption. Ways to mitigate it before it sets in, and drain it when it already has. It's not as scientific a discipline.

[their dad left his behind when he left the family. which, as she catalogued them and looked stuff up online, turned out to be a really stupid move since the comics were probably more valuable than the china and the silverware. but her dad can't have them back, she's claiming them]

Of--of the crystals?

[she's trying, but her actual real life experience in talking to guys is pathetically low. she's not blonde, buxom Cassie who had all the guys she'd ever met eating out of the palm of her hand, she's tall, skinny Lexi who usually had her nose in a book. but he's nice and that helps a lot]

Wow. I bet that's really useful. I mean, they tell horror stories about corruption and beasthood and it's all so--so nerve-wracking that they're actually real. But being able to do something about it...it's impressive.

[If Paul was asked, he'd say that Lexi was perfectly charming. He'd keep to himself that she seems to think that she's more awkward than she really is, as if somewhere along the line in her life she was convinced that was the role she was meant for. It reminds him of a few people he already likes. It inclines him to gentleness.]

The X-ray glasses. You could have been an excellent thief. [His smile slants teasing again.] Or a scientist, I suppose.

[He then waves his hand airily between them, his turn to look awkward.]

It's an extension of existing work, and it's less impressive than it sounds. Most of what I tell people is preventative, anyway. Talk to people who care about you, get rest, try to keep your spirits up. That kind of thing. It's not even magic, most of it.

[that was pretty much exactly what happened. her older sister, Cassie, was a buxom, outgoing blonde who everyone loved. she was also very obviously the favorite of their parents. and the girl who was supposed to be Lexi's best friend drifted away more and more, so she retreated inside herself, resigning herself to being the awkward, gawky one]

Oh! [she giggled] Yeah, I guess I never thought of it that way. [and she grins] Better go with scientist, I'd feel really bad about being a thief.

[but she's impressed with what he has to say, despite his awkwardness] Maybe not, but it's all something I hadn't considered before. I'm still really new in town, so I'm kind of fumbling around, trying to make friends. And what's that old saying, that an ounce of medicine is worth a pound of cure? Better to go with medicine in whatever its form first.

You're doing more than trying.

[Paul has forged friendships here over much less than a pleasant conversation and being taught a new dance. He offers it up lightly, but he's aware of the weight it may still have, so he pivots from the declaration with an easy smile still in place.]

You have more of a scientist's qualities, anyway. [He nods to himself as much as her.] Curiosity, thoughtfulness, openness to new experiences, adaptability.

[Also good qualities for a thief, if not for her tender conscience - which is for the best.]

[she looks genuinely, but pleasantly surprised] Really? Thank you!

[maybe she can emerge from Cassie's shadow here. do things for herself, rather than what was expected of her. build her own circle of friends and be appreciated for her authentic self. the idea is almost too much to handle in the moment, but she knows she can spend some time fully accepting it later.

that, and she can't help grinning, a real grin, not like the tight, strained ones at home]

You're really going to make me blush with all of those nice things you said and I'm a Darkblood, so I'm not sure what that would look like. [there, an attempt at humor. will she stick the landing?

and he's right for the most part about her conscience. other than a little bit of resentment for Cassie nagging at her, though far less here than at home]

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Birthday Party

(CW: underage alcohol, drugs)

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(CW: marijuana)

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