closedish to cool guys having chill day

[megatheorem]

Who: a bunch of funky friends invited by Viktor and Palamedes*
What: Having a Party in a field with Fireworks
When: the second week-ish in May
Where: (the field outside of) Pal and Viktor's bunker in Gaze

Content Warnings: alcohol and teens drinking it, irresponsible use of explosives, see threads for anything else that comes up

*If you have friendly CR with Palamedes please feel free to handwave that he mentioned this happening, also if your character has CR with a Pal Friend (a pal^2) who would invite them along, he's broadly allowing this. It's not a formal affair in the slightest lmaooo

--

afternoon/evening.

Earlier in the morning on the day of The Fireworks Field Party (tm), Palamedes makes sure to send a quick location ping to anyone who's never been to the Sixth bunker (also tm) before, because it is, indeed, just in a field somewhere in Gaze. The treeline is comfortably distant from the door to said bunker, which is the only real indication anything is out here besides a few "big rocks" that he names, in his message, as landmarks.

As an afterthought, he has set up a little trail of mason jars containing glowing mushrooms to lead the way to The Field, helpfully. The Field is what it sounds like: a dang field, just slightly ominous in the Gaze fashion, although besides the usual somebody's-watching feeling, it's grassy and spacious for kitschy lawn games. Among the things Palamedes has provided (upon recommendation of a shopkeeper, so like, do not perceive his choices, they were made for him) include:

1. Just a load of blankets, big cozy ones dutifully spread out for chilling on, on the ground.

2. Throwing game Crossbones, definitely chosen because of the bones (they are wooden sticks), and just kind of left sitting there waiting because your host does not know how to play physical games.

3. beanbag horseshoes because it rocks

4. Just, like, a specific blanket that has pencils and blank paper sitting on it... This is a free station, no one will question what art happens here.

Harrow has also provided bone chairs for alternate seating, which are precisely what they sound like.

Eventually, the field will also feature a snack table, which is a community effort, and a booze table, which is slightly supervised in the way that your esteemed host(s) will not permit booze and cherry bombs at the same time.

And, because it's an open field in Trench, there is also a table where emergency incense is waiting. Wandering too far from the space immediately around the bunker (which, it's a big space, you'd have to go far) will eventually lead you to blood wards on the ground, on the trunks of a few trees, etc. Don't touch these. Don't be gross.


the fucken fireworks.

It's fireworks. Once it's dark, there are even more glowing mushroom jars and homemade alchemy glowsticks from Waver to be passed around, somehow, and at least some of the little beanbags glow in the dark, ooh!! Viktor has provided cherry bombs to be used with at least a little caution, for god's sake. There are also some slightly larger fireworks in much shorter supply, from a shop, that will be closely guarded until someone with pyrotechnics talent convinces Palamedes they deserve one. Godspeed.

Broadly: this is a fireworks party (tm) for individual wee ones you can throw around on your own, with only a brief smattering of the big ones that light up the whole sky above the field. It's a chill time for cool buds, fire safety is encouraged, so is vibing on the blankets and enjoying a nice evening.

At various times, local dope musician Anna Amarande will be providing some light musical entertainment, for vibes.


the bunker i guess.

The party is not in here, but for reference:
-it's locked via numpad and neither of these stickbug nerds are giving out the code but they'll open the door if asked... you don't have to leave the place to go to the bathroom lmf
-it's a bunker. it's one room and a bathroom in the back. it's full of disorganized nerd stuff and an oversized moon orb and pal's mean omen, rocky the cool rat (harpy eagle), who will aggressively flap at anyone with sticky fingers until they leave
-the code is 69420 so if you're super funny like gideon you COULD guess it

Comments

your pal, pal. open

[megatheorem]

[This is technically Palamedes' own party, and so naturally, he spends most of it just kind of hanging around. Just chilling. He's not good at throwing things or lifting the giant crossbones pieces in the first place and he's not going to get sloshed on donated liquor, so: just chilling. He doesn't even make much of an effort at playing host besides saying hello when people arrive and gesturing around at the various Activities. He can be asked questions? He'll do his best; he was never planning on playing the good and gracious host because that shit's boring, but he's polite.

Throughout the afternoon and evening, when he is not hanging around with Viktor (the PDA is not Obnoxious, but it is also not trying to be Covert), he can be found:

A. putting more mushrooms in jars, an activity he occasionally breaks from to feebly toss one such mushroom for Rio, Viktor's big pink lizard omen. He will also hand out little mush-jars for anyone who would like them.

B. absolutely and utterly failing to play crossbones, because the sticks are big and he's a necromancer. Truly, darkblood anti-grav magic had to be used to get these things home from the shop. His best work is managing to lift one and flip it end over end on a lucky bounce. Luckily he is in great spirits about this.

C. Just kind of roaming around asking how everyone's doing... he's not playing host, he's playing mom friend. Everyone here is within six degrees of separation (mostly fewer) of someone he cares about, so everyone here gets the Friend Treatment. If you're extra friendly he'll draw you a squidsona at the art station.

D. Later when it's dark enough, absolutely throwing out his whole shoulder in the name of having a sick time with cherry bombs. He might just dab a little darkblood on a few and have them float high overhead before they pop, for funsies.

Other Pal Facts of note include that he is visibly covered in eyeballs, although he's made the effort to only leave his hands and head/neck exposed, for other people's relative comfort. The eyes are not the same size, nor are they arranged in a pattern of any kind, but they do boggle unless he makes the effort to close them. He will try to remember this.

He will also, towards the middle, suddenly be going around wearing a yellow sports jersey (ish) for Shoyo's children's sports team, which he puts on over his existing grey fit because of course he does. Don't perceive him.]

[peripheries]

[Kaworu is more fond of the sparklers than the other small fireworks (he hasn't seen any big ones yet), he keeps making Paul and Midoriya hold some so he can light his own and then use it to light theirs, engulfing them all in showers of sparks.

When Pal finds him, he's opening up a new box. He glances up at him, squinting slightly as a smile overtakes his sharp but young features.]

You really got fireworks.

[He's not used to people keeping their word. It's only ever happened here and it still feels strange.]

[megatheorem]

[At its origin, this party is for Kaworu and the others— the handful of people still enduring the aftereffects of the Leviathan. Palamedes brilliantly does not include himself as one of those people for personal reasons, so: it's for having fun with fireworks, and friends, and not trauma, and so on.

So naturally he did put in the effort to get fireworks. And Viktor does like to show off his ability to make, evidently, literally anything, ergo - yes indeed, there are plenty to go around. Kaworu seems - surprised? Which is telling, but the smile outweighs how bleak that particular surprise is.]

It would be a resounding failure of a fireworks party without them, wouldn't it? [hmm,] Those sparkling ones are a big hit.

[are you having fuuuunnn]

[peripheries]

[Parties are a way of putting bad memories aside for a period of time. It's even easy to forget about them entirely. That's how the Leviathan is for for Kaworu, a shadow, still lurking around corners but in the distance, held off by friends and connections.]

It could have been another kind of party if you had chosen something else.

[But the tone indicates he's clearly pleased about how it's gone. He's rummaging through them, looking for more sparklers.]

[megatheorem]

I'm not sure everyone here would be as interested in the other kinds of things I'd choose to have a party around.

[Something so cool like reading about how paper is made... Like, some of the nerds here would be into it. But casting a wide net to maximize friend time? Gotta be fireworks.]

Besides, I'm coming around to parties, I think. They're usually dull, in my experience.

[Ah, and what's this... it's a couple sparklers he had tucked in an inside pocket, because Viktor has been handing these to him all day. He holds them out, helpfully. Please enjoy.]

[peripheries]

I'd never been to one before last month. This is only my second. And neither I would call "boring". Doesn't a boring party defeat the purpose of a party in the first place?

[He reaches for the sparkler like a little child grabbing at a present. Which... isn't far off. There's a pause and the sparkler is suddenly lit, powered by a simple twist of reality.]

What sort of things?

c.

[dohaeris]

[sansa is not as anxious of grown men asking after her unsolicited as she might've been a month ago, and this one lacks the practiced courtly manners that set her nerves on edge. she turns, a friendly smile fixed on her face, and observes the man in front of her. she is actually a little charmed, despite all the eyes.]

I'm well, thank you. It's a wonderful party.

[he behaves like a host, whatever his intention, and sansa recognizes most of the other people here (except for the one with the arms that keeps standing next to lazarus...?), so it stands to reason this must be the palamedes viktor mentioned. she glances around at the field.]

Is this your land? It's lovely. I only have a little courtyard, and I'm meant to share it.

[this has not stopped the protein-mushroom mycelium she planted from thoroughly colonizing it.]

[megatheorem]

[Finally, someone who doesn't stare back at his many eyes. They don't bother him - beyond the way any eyeball can be bothersome, particularly the ones that are at constant risk of being poked uncomfortably thanks to normal activities - but being boggled at while, say, the side of his head boggles back is becoming a little tiresome.

So, great, skipping all that entirely. He's more than happy to talk about The Field instead, looking around like ah, hm, his land...]

Mine and Viktor's, I suppose, by virtue of being here long enough.

[He nods over at the door to their little bunker, a structure sticking out of the ground at what is ostensibly the edge of this party's radius. Nobody claimed this land and nobody stopped them from occupying the field, so - yes, that is ownership indeed.]

You came with Allen, if I'm remembering correctly. [Red hair, white hair, and the other young man with red and white hair, they did make quite a group.] But we haven't been introduced; I'm Palamedes. Thank you for coming to what is ostensibly my party, but in practice is a little bit of everyone's party, actually.

[He doesn't bow so much as kind of tilt briefly; he'd offer a handshake, but as he lifts his hands to fix his glasses from falling down his nose, his hands are equally eyeball-ridden and darkblood stained, so please forgive his refraining from shaking hands. It's starting to be a weird experience whenever he offers someone his hand at this party.]

I'm guessing your little courtyard isn't out here in Gaze; it's not much of a welcoming neighborhood. Have you planted any lumenflowers?

[dohaeris]

[sansa would never stare at anyone, though she has some concern that the eyes may be a symptom of corruption. regardless she does not want to hurt them by taking his hand.

her smile brightens when he mentions allen, and she gives a little half-curtsey in response to his informal bow.]

Yes, I came with Allen. It was so kind of you to invite us. I'm called Alayne; I live in Cellar Door, but I've been to more parties here in Gaze than anywhere else.

[more of her friends live here than in cellar door. she doesn't understand the appeal. granted, they are largely arcane scholars. she tilts her head a little.]

I've planted mushrooms. I haven't seen many lumenflowers outside of the Lumenwood. Are they very hard to grow?

[megatheorem]

[Everybody sure is in Gaze, huh; everybody throwing parties, anyway, although most of Palamedes' people live within walking distance of this very field, so— what is it about the neighborhood that watches the residents, who can say.]

Viktor insisted, not that he had to push very hard; a friend of his is a friend of mine, et cetera. ["insisted" of course meaning "asked once and Palamedes immediately said yes definitely," details,] I'd have thought Cellar Door would have more parties.

[Given all the bars and so on, but maybe Gaze has all the parties so everyone who lives out here can pretend it's normal. High possibility.]

Anyway, the flowers— you know, I don't actually know. Seeing them in Lumenwood day after day just makes me think they should get a chance to grow somewhere with less blood mist. None of the other blood ministers care about gardening, and I know nothing about keeping a plant alive...

[He shrugs! Plants! What are they.] There have to be hundreds of them everywhere you look out there, though; does that suggest they're easy to grow?

[tealeafs]

[ Hm.

The eyeballs are-- well, they sure are a thing, aren't they. Chizuru can't help but stare as she spots him from a distance, and she can't help but feel a little uncomfortable about them.. but on the other hand, she's learned to not judge people by their appearances, right? Maybe the poor guy can't do anything about the eyeballs everywhere! Maybe he's really embarrassed about it, who knows.

Come on, Chizuru. Be friendly. Be tactful. You can do it. Just don't look at the eyeballs.

She sucks in a deep breath and then - before Palamedes even has the CHANCE to mom friend her, Chizuru is already bowing ninety degrees for him. ]

Sir..! [ They're about the same age, but ssh, Chizuru is just overly polite..

.. as evidenced by the bow. At least she's quick to upright himself and look him in the eyes. His actual two eyes. In the regular human spot. ]

You're Viktor's friend, right? The one who took him in? My name is Chizuru Yukimura, and it's such a pleasure to meet you..!

[megatheorem]

[Well, bad news, the eyeballs are a little thrown off by being bowed to and addressed as 'sir'— the effect of him blinking twice in surprise is a weird, gradual rippling of visible eyes. Then he remembers himself and makes the staunch effort to keep closed all the eyes that aren't the normal human ones in the regular spot, but forgive him if the errant eye opens briefly here and there.

Anyway, ah, he's been outgunned in his quest to mom friend everyone. He remembers her name - Chizuru, the one who cooks, the one Viktor theorized was a little lonely - and he nods, sort of, hm, gesturing for her to please stay upright and not bow to him again, good golly.]

Well, not 'sir,' please— but I'm Viktor's partner, yes. Just call me Palamedes. [Will she shake his hand. He looks at it first to take stock of his many eyes (they're closed, at least on his arm), and holds his hand out. Hello.] And you're the one who brought all the rice.

[Sorry, there's a nonzero amount of rice in his house now, this is where his first impressions lie. Chizuru: nice girl who brings rice.]

Viktor hoped you'd come and have a good time; he speaks kindly of you. Are you? Having a good time?

[tealeafs]

[ There is so much going on here. There's no time to contemplate her sudden rice reputation, nor the fact that apparently Viktor talks about her behind her back - and even worse, in a positive way! Terrifying! She doesn't even have time to answer his question, because..

.. well, it's the hand. It's the hand that throws her off. Chizuru already isn't accustomed to the entire shaking hands thing, since it's just not something they do where and when she comes from, but she's at least seen people do it here in Trench. She gets that it's a greeting.

But. God. Oh, god. There's the eyes, even on his hand. And they may be closed, but something about them sends Chizuru immediately all the way up to the eleventh level of Fretting. Would it be uncomfortable for him to touch them? Would it feel strange for either of them? What if she accidentally pokes him in an eye, especially when this would literally be the first time she has shaken anyone's hand and has no idea what she's doing?

With how little control the girl has over her expressions, Palamedes can probably enjoy an entire smorgasbord's worth of panicking emotions in Chizuru's eyes as she stares at that hand. She slowly stretches out her own hand in turn, like she's summoning her courage to try and touch it.. M-Maybe...

...

......

Wait, she's only now realising something else. Her hand freezes in mid-air before she can even touch Palamedes' hand, and her eyes grow wider as she stares up at the man's face instead. ]

Partner?!

[ That sure took her a good minute to catch up on, huh. ]

[megatheorem]

[Oh. Oh, she doesn't like the hands-with-eyes. It's too late now to pull back his hand and apologize without making a whole thing out of it, and Palamedes fears that, given what her face is doing (impressive, honestly), that might just make it worse? Here, where "worse" means "super awkward," of course.

He stands there completely still except for his normal human eyes, which glance back and forth in haste while she stares at his hand, like, ah... what does he do now...

—but oh thank god, she's distracted.]

Oh! [oop, there goes his hand, smoothly transitioning into a very intentional shrugging gesture, like it was doing all along. ah yes, That.] We'll circle back to you having a good time, I guess? Right, that's what I— [mmph] Yes, partner.

[Whew, great save by everyone involved.]

Belatedly, it's good to meet you, too. You don't have to shake my hand; I get it.

Bunker: I see you're a man of culture

[wannasmash]

Midoriya is more tree than faun today, but his freckled face framed by two ram's horns is still recognizable. His skin has turned a medium green. Instead of being covered in hair like a true faun, he has acquired a corded, rootlike structure. His map-like scars cross over raised woodlike whorls and striations. His feet are elongated, his gait shifted to his toes--one a hoof, the other like the thin base of a tree. He's in his usual plain clothes, a simple T-shirt with the word NICE and dark blue cargo shorts.

After leaving the bathroom, Midoriya more fully notices the chalkboard, which has been turned to its reverse side. He pauses, looks contemplatively at the growing list of specifically-themed words in various people's handwriting, picks up the chalk, and helpfully writes the Japanese for boobs,

oppai

[megatheorem]

Palamedes is not chaperoning the bathroom itself, he isn't a weirdo— but he does live here, and so if he happens to come and go from his own home while the guests mill in and out, that will just happen sometimes. He's trekked down into the bunker for god knows what— more pens? Another bottle of Viktor's beloved fruity truth juice? Five minutes to stand in a quiet room, because he really is not a partying kind of guy at the end of the day?

Any of those. Possibly more than one. He's over at the tiny kitchen table looking at some papers in silence when Midoriya comes out of the bathroom, and he glances up only when he hears the sound of chalk on the board. One could be forgiven for not noticing he's come down here, being the same rail-thin nerd shape as always despite his many new eyes, and tucked into the opposite corner of the space.

He clears his throat. Hmm! "I've never heard that one before."

[wannasmash]

He freezes with a squeak. He sets the chalk down and turns around slowly. He's in the middle of writing oppai on someone's chalkboard. He didn't think about how this would look.

"H-hi, Palamedes-san. Nice... eyes..." Absolutely nailing acting casual with casual conversation.

"--Wait a minute, you didn't wade into something weird, right? I thought that mud was gone... That's how I got mine." He gestures to various points on his body to indicate e̵͕̐y̵̖̺͂ȅ̴̳͘s̷̼͔͝.

"But, uh, I'm better now." Comparatively speaking.

[slightlytaller]

"It's nice to see that you finally got some color in your wardrobe."

Sorry, Palamedes. You have been Percieved. Waver Velvet was noticeably different-- and, notably to the Warden, looked more like the grim archivist that had stalked him on the beach the month before. With his hair pulled back and the tail of his centaur half braided, Waver had also taken time to add a little more color in the form of the black coat with red and gold accents he wore in place of pants.

Because, truly, not being able to wear pants was the real crime here-- and not his inability to see the impact he had made of his students and sundry other teenagers he had adopted in his life.

"This is quite the turn out, Palamedes. If I didn't know better, I'd have guessed that you've done this a few times before."

[megatheorem]

"It's for the kids," he says about the shirt, without looking up from what he's doing (currently, it is performing surgery on a pastry, because he's decided he only wants the chocolate pieces and not any of the actual pastry). And, "For Shoyo, too. It might as well say 'sucker' on the back instead of my name."

Which he says with genuine fondness, because it's really quite sweet, and he is indubitably a sucker for happy orphans and rowdy friends. He glances up then - hi, taller Waver who is a horse right now, essentially - with a brief smile, then looks out over the rest of the party. His many extra eyeballs do not look with him, but they can't really see much, anyway.

"It's good, I think. Frankly, I'm exhausted. Somebody else can have the next hundred turns. Seriously, I was unaware I knew this many people." Whew. "Speaking of. The hyper-intelligent bird is with you?"

[slightlytaller]

Somehow, he wasn't surprised. It was hard not to be a sucker for the earnest kids in this town. Without the barriers present in his version of Earth, even Waver was feeling somewhat drawn to be a Trustworthy Adult for these wayward kids.

It wasn't like any of them had the guidance they understood from their homes.

There was no hiding the brief flush that darkened his face at the mention of the bird. "Oh that's my--" boyfriend birdfriend partner "-- my King. The one I told you about before."

He fell quiet for a moment. Truly, he had gracefully succeeded with that explanation. Embarrassed, he fussed with the glasses which he didn't actually need to see.

"The same thing that's made me a centaur has turned him into an eagle. Iskandar's very chatty, so this is hard for him."

[megatheorem]

Oh, he's blushing, that's embarrassing. Palamedes looks over towards where the bird-King is again, and says mildly, "Congratulations."

On having your boyfriend around, specifically, not that he's stuck as a bird and Waver as a centaur. Those things seem marginally more inconvenient than Palamedes own experience currently being covered in eyes.

"My omen is a bird," and he holds up a hand like, I know it's not the same, don't worry, "but she mostly communicates through increasingly impatient looks. It's shocking how expressive a beak can be."

Anyway, more importantly, the hot goss. Ahem, "I hope he wasn't an eagle during your reunion."

[disrupts]

[ Against the back drop of, y'know, the sheer terror that seems to live just around the corner sometimes, this is nova. The vibe's good and V's cycled around all there is to do at least once. By the time he catches up with Palamedes, he's on his third or fourth non-alcoholic juice - he's lost count - and is riding what seems to be a delicious sugar high. Who needs liquor, anyway? ]

'ey, Pal. Havin' a preem time - thanks for invitin' me along.

[ This nomad was raised in an environment where just being part of the clan was an invitation in itself, and it wasn't until he'd rocked up in Night City that he realized people extending invitations is sometimes more of an active thing than an assumed thing. So he's grateful, no doubt.

It truly shows how long it's taken him to actually look at Palamedes versus just throwing a casually fond arm around slender shoulders when, eventually-- ]

Shit, you got eyes all over ya face.

[ Gotta be a joke here along the lines of has Pal looked in the mirror recently.......? Though V knows better than to comment so abruptly on somebody else's appearance. ]

Uh, sorry. That just kinda... slipped out.

[megatheorem]

[Palamedes' initial response to V slinging an arm around him is a muffled 'oof,' but it's fine, he's just a matchstick of a human being. He's glad to see V, particularly V in better spirits than the last time, and also not in an abandoned hovel in the dark. This is an empty field in the dark! Much better.

He repeats, mostly to himself,] Preem...?

[Another colorful V term to commit to memory, he supposes; neat. And, ah- he laughs, and a few of his extra eyes open and shut involuntarily - oops. They act up in response to any flare of emotion, good or bad, including laughing at V's abrupt surprise at, well, them.

He shakes his head, no-]

You're right, I do have eyes all over my face. Don't apologize. They can't see clearly enough to know it was you who said something, besides.

[He waves a hand in front of the extra ones on the side of his face - there's a big one on the back of his hand, too, howdy - and none of the eyes seem like they're actually focused on anything. It's a profoundly weird sensation, processing all this extra visual data that is totally fucking useless, but he's enduring.]

Not enough glasses. Anyway, I'm glad you could make it.

[disrupts]

[ 'course Pal seems to be taking the whole eye situation in his stride, and V's chest swells with warmth. The joke is appreciated, clear enough in the way his expression softens into a grin. Now he's imagining the man with a monocle for each eye. ]

Preem, yeah. Like nova. Or awesome. It's a good thing.

[ Confirmation just to make sure Palamedes doesn't think V is cussing his party out. The opposite; he's having a great time and, despite the weird and concerning things that've happened over the last few weeks, it's a relief to see there's something pleasant to be found. ]

What's uh-- just woke up with the eye situation? It hurt?

[megatheorem]

[Preem, preem... 'nova' he's just going to have to accept means super cool and dope, but preem-]

Like 'premium'? [That's kind of cute, as slang terms go? V's world continues to be incredibly colorful and interesting, from Palamedes' point of view.

But hm, his eyes. He holds his hand out in front of him, lips pursed in thought as he looks at the big ol' eyeball boggling back at them from the back of his palm, an even weirder visual processing moment- and he shrugs.]

It doesn't hurt. Well, unless I forget about them and lean on something the wrong way.

[Sometimes, a man forgets he has a hundred extra eyeballs, and life is just like that in this town.]

Viktor thinks they're fascinating; I think they're a bit tedious.