[OPEN] Have a Fiery Birthday

[idolater]

Who: faithfulflame & all her friends!
When: IC Apr 17 / OOC Dec 05, afternoon
Where: CERES Gardens
What: it's Rei's birthday! naturally, Ami and Minako have planned a party for her, outside in the Gardens. if you're Rei's friend, you're welcome to attend! party-crashers may be escorted out!
Rating/Warning: none for now, but who knows what will happen!



[Minako takes a step back, hands on her hips, to look at the display before her. a safe section of the CERES Gardens has been sanctioned off for Rei's birthday party. and with the weather always being the same in Cerealia, it's a sunny and warm April day. she grins to herself, checking out the various corners, each decorated with a bundle of red and white balloons so that people can easily find the area.

Ami and Rei would be here soon, as would the guests, so that gives Minako the chance to do one more glance over each of the stations; there's a long buffet table, with most of the food supplied by Archer, while other smaller goodies have been provided by Ami and Minako. the cake is hidden away, for now, out of the sun. Minako's also arranged for there to be a mini stage for dancing, or karaoke. she couldn't pass up the opportunity to perform, after all. and there's so much technology in this world that she had to make use of it! hopefully Rei would enjoy that, even if it isn't her scene.

lastly, there's a gift-table, specifically for dropping off presents. if Minako is right, she's certain that Rei will be getting a lot of them. Rei had made so many friends in Cerealia. so many people seemed to love her and wanted to give back to her. just thinking about how many lives Rei had touched in her short stay here makes Minako's grin widen. she was really lucky to have a wonderful girlfriend. she hoped she could convey her feelings properly, by helping plan this party.

...all right, that's enough feeling sappy! it's time to get this party started! Minako turns on the music (it's classical, lightly playing in the background), and then stands by to welcome guests]

Comments

BUFFET TABLE

[idolater]

[welcome to the buffet! here, you'll find a lot of Rei's favorite dishes, as well as some chips and dip, and salads. one of the eye-catching treats happens to be panda-shaped rice balls. you'll also find wine, champagne, and a variety of non-alcoholic beverages. nearby is another long table where guests can sit and eat, if they don't feel like carrying their food around]

[swordboning]

[Archer was actually having a really bad time right now. His master/girlfriend was gone and he was still here. His own magic power slowly draining, of course. But he was also a stubborn man and thankfully, rarely ever showed emotion so would easily pass as normal. If a bit more barbed than normal.

Though anyone who could detect magic could feel that he was far weaker than he normally should be.

Still, he stood behind a special display. One for fugu since that was what was requested. That had to be done fresh so it couldn't sit out buffet style. He had to make it as ordered. Otherwise, people could get sick. He did have a cooler with the fresh product. He just had to slice it up properly once people ordered some.

So he stood here, eyes closed but paying plenty of attention to his surroundings.]

[faithfulflame]

[It's not the food that draws Rei over, though the fugu was an amazing treat, and she was more than grateful for that. It's rather the sense of Archer being less...himself...than usual. He was dimmer somehow, and his emotions were a trainwreck for a psychoempath. The source was not clear, but she wasn't going to not ask, even today.]

Archer. Is something the matter? You don't look yourself.

[idolater]

[complete;y oblivious to Archer's problems, Minako is happy to greet him with a big smile after guests start arriving]

Everything here looks great! I can't thank you enough for helping out!

[allergictoloveletters]

Archer-san. [She came up to him and bowed.] Thank you again for doing all this. [She looked at all the people around, the joy they had at the food.] You're food is incredible. You really are a spectacular chef.

Is there anything I can do to repay you for all this?

[psycholawgy]

[ guess who's poking him on the shoulder.

POKE POKE POKE. ]

[faithfulflame]

[Rei was a fan of food, but you know what's really caught her eye? Those onigiri pandas. She just seems to be completely in love, grinning ear to ear in uncharacteristic happiness. The level of thought that took, along with the other dishes is just...amazing and she's probably staring when she first arrives. And eating more than a little bit immediately after.

She's also not shy about the alcohol at all, plucking up a glass of red wine and sipping while observing and munching. Don't be shy, she's happy to talk.]

[anudora]

[ Tyrande had not touched the majority of the food. It was not that it did not look appealing, but rather that she simply felt uncomfortable with all of this. Was she right to be here? Was it a place she belonged in? Was her gift acceptable (it was a bracelet with a small healing ward on it, capable of creating a small field that could heal for a minor amount)? The mild unease left her tense and looking more like someone attending a political function that someone relating at a birthday party.

The thing she lingered on the longest though happened to be the little strange Pandaren shaped things. She picked one up and turned it over in her hands with an inquisitive look. It took her a few seconds to notice that Rei was standing right there as well. She gave a smile,genuine but still mildly stiff, and then spoke. ]

A happy birthday to you. I hope you are enjoying your day.

[idolater]

[you know who's not shy? Minako is not shy. ever.

and she is coming up from behind to attach herself to Rei, not at all mindful of the food or alcohol she's carrying]

Reeeeiiii~chaaaaan~ ♥

[unpreparer]

[After spending much of the party watching festivities, trying to remain as ignored as possible, he came to the conclusion that he was far too sober to be dealing with this. The constant chattering of people was grating on his nerves, and the scent of wine was nostalgic. May as well have a drink for the first time in... who knew how many years, and hope it helped to make putting up with the partygoers easier.

No sooner had he made his way towards the table did he immediately regret his decision. While some noticed and were cautious to get out of his way, others assumed him harmless and thus didn't pay him much mind. After about the third time one such person bumped into him trying to get by, Illidan decided the wine was a lost cause and slowly tried to make his retreat. It was easier said than done. Without getting anyone underfoot.

Thus, he started subtly bumping anyone who bumped into him back with his wing, to passive aggressively maintain the sanctity of his personal space bubble. Unless they were small enough for him to stumble over, not an uncommon occurrence for one his size. Should anyone dare gawk at him too long, he would scowl their way and hiss a sharp "What?", before trying to continue his retreat.

Really, he was made for killing demons, not civil social gatherings. But he tried.]

[anudora]

[ He tried and therefore nobody could criticize him save for Tyrande. Her gaze as she watched his attempt at getting wine and then giving up. She let out a sigh and grabbed two glasses and followed after him from a slight distance. What she was doing even making the attempt here was beyond her. A distance should be kept between them and yet they kept finding themselves awkwardly drawn towards one another. Perhaps it was a product of being the only night elves here or perhaps it was their history together. Regardless it was what it was and here they were once more.

Once he'd made his retreat, with Tyrande following behind and whispering a few apologies to those he rudely bumped into, she approached. ]

There was no need for such rudeness. [ She held out a glass for him even as she chided him. ]

[virdeant]

[ Even if Illidan didn't tower above the rest of the guests due to his sheer size, he was still easy to spot amongst the other party goers. It was painfully obvious to the Sin'dorei prince that Illidan was not at all accustomed to social gatherings, but that was hardly surprising.

Kael approaches his liege with a wine glass in one hand, maneuvering through the crowd with ease.]

There are ways to maintain distance from others without shoving them, my Lord. [ Though Illidan may not be able to see the amusement on his face, it's plain in the prince's voice.]

STAGE

[idolater]

[whether you want to sing or dance, there is enough room for you to be a star! the covered stage is large enough for about twenty people to be on it at any time, so get up and dance! or just watch other people make fools of themselves. it's all in good fun]

GIFT TABLE

[idolater]

[want to leave a gift for the birthday girl? she just turned 19, but she could still use stuff! if you linger around the table long enough, maybe you'll even catch Rei opening your present! otherwise, just look at the table and figure out who brought the biggest present... gotta take them out first...]

[dereban]

[ Inaba herself is rather sneaky when she tries to put the present on the table -- it's a rather elegant red present wrapped neatly, and inside it seems to be a plush crow and a notebook with a crow on the cover.

And pencils. ]

[faithfulflame]

[Well, when Rei sees Inaba trying to be sneaky, she will wander up to at least say hello. And to let her know she's not as stealthy as she thinks she is.]

Inaba-san, thank you for coming.

[cresthopes]

[Meanwhile, here happened to be one young blond boy and his digimon looking through all the other presents. Compared to them, his was rather small. But then again, it didn't mean it was bad!

He was...just questioning his gift a little]

[zenryokuzenkai]

[ Nanoha isn't carrying a big present with her. Instead, she leaves an envelop on the table addressed to Rei, and plops somebody else's present onto it so it doesn't flap away in the wind.

It's a gift voucher. Nanoha wanted to help fund Rei's training, but Ami helpfully pointed out that the weapons themselves were too personal to be given as gifts, and Nanoha hadn't studied Rei's bow and sword closely enough to know exactly what kind of maintenance equipment she needed. So cash, the handiest thing, and rather the privilege of adults to give away. ]

[cryptologic]

[ Upon Ami's recommendation, Dipper got Rei a panda pillow. It's obnoxiously adorable and the sort of thing Mabel would have loved, so he figures it's probably a relatively good choice.

His gift-wrapping skills leave something to be desired, however. That package that just looks like someone took a roll of wrapping paper and unfurled it until all the edges were covered and taped it down? Yeah, that's the one. And that may be exactly how it was wrapped. ]

[definingfuture]

[So this was rather impromptu for him. He didn't expect to be invited to someone's party after arriving in a strange place, but Tony also wants to be nice to the person who rescued him from a dangerous introductory game. The box he sets on the table is small, but nicely wrapped--which means he got someone else to wrap it. No mistakes yet. Maybe.]

[zerotohiro]

[He's inconspicuous about dropping his present off at the table, just in the same way he's inconspicuous about his arrival to the party. The paper's tearing a little at the edges but it appears that everything is held in a plain cardboard box. Whenever Rei opens it though she'll find a small tea set with a very specific color scheme and also a small box containing a pendant that appears to be handcrafted. With the gifts dropped off, he'll just casually sneak away to melt back into the small crowd of people.]

[bewrightback]

[Thinking of the right gift for Rei reminded Phoenix Wright of a puzzle. But luckily, in the absence of a certain professor whom he had worked with once years ago, he had the words of one of her friends to act as a hint coin towards solving it.

There's a small set of white casablance flowers, and the actual gift contains a nice-looking Swiss army knife, which has a crow emblem on it.

Elegant? Useful? Check, check, check!]

MINGLE

[idolater]

[so you just want to mingle. that's cool too, right? that way, you can keep your eyes on all the stations, or just people-watch. karaoke isn't really your style, anyway. it might be best to hang back and wait for someone to refill your favorite dish. maybe you're shy. or maybe you're like Illidan and you have no idea what a birthday party is]

The Birthday Girl

[faithfulflame]

[It's not that Rei was overwhelmed by everything that was going on, no, it's just that goodness...there ended up being a lot more people here than she ever expected would want attend. She never really placed a lot of value on parties and the like, but her friends did and she knew better than to argue with a certain duo when it came to letting such things happen. She just ran with it, and was really really grateful to have people here who valued her enough to even want to attend. Before it'd only been a small handful of the closest friends, because she was the weird girl that nobody wanted to get too close to.

Oh how times have changed.

Rei floats from person to person, trying to politely greet everyone that came to the party. It was a lot of socializing though, since than five people in a room was still a lot for her. So eventually she's going to have to take a seat and have a drink or a bit of finger food, which might also be an easy time to catch her. Sitting in a chair and sipping champagne or watching people enjoying themselves at karaoke, or just surreptitiously (or not so) sneaking looks at the people while fervently hoping they're enjoying themselves.

Phobos and Deimos are never terribly far from her side, either, the birds hopping along tables or the ground like tiny avian bodyguards. It might seem comical at first, but if the birds catch you staring at them or their mistress, they're going to react in two ways. The first is to flap over at you and tug on your clothes until you come say hi...and if that fails, then they're going to caw at you until you go say hi.]

One of the Hostesses

[allergictoloveletters]

[Ami was really quite pleased with how everything turned out. She was keeping a watch for anyone who might be trying to ruin Rei's party, they would be dealt with swiftly and contend with Mercury and Venus' wrath for daring to cause trouble after having been warned.

But even if she was ever mindful of such things, she was still trying to be... well... social. It wasn't exactly easy for her, even now, she had a small book tucked into her pocket to sneak away with if she needed a moment to just collect herself. She was better at the whole... social thing, honestly, but she was essentially an introvert at heart.

Ami was checking in with guests. "Thank you so much for coming to Rei's party?" answering whatever questions popped up. "Ah, the birthday girl is over there," "Yes the public restrooms are just down that path and to the left," "Please don't venture outside the safe zone, we've marked a clear path that is safe to come and go by." And other questions of such nature. She didn't mind, it's what she did. When she spotted a party guest near the some of the more... dangerous flora outside of the safe zone, she headed over to them.]

Ah, please be careful as those are Vine Crawlers. They have poison barbs that will stick to your skin and cause incredibly painful welts from the slightest touch.