« intro ⇢ winterball.exe »

[poised]

Who: everyone, literally everyone
When: ooc: 04/25-04/26; ic: 12/26
Where: the Gardens
What: intro log + winter ball!
Rating/Warning: PG-13 | possibly nsfw (please let me know if you need this rating changed, or you are welcome to continue any naughty shenanigans in a private log)

//winterball.EXE Pimp My Party -- Royalty Style A few weeks prior to December 26th, an invitation went out to all whom already reside in Cerealia. In delicate, curling script, it read: You are cordially invited by Natalia L.K. Lanvaldear to a Winter Ball to be held on the Eve of December 26th in the Gardens. Dress in your best attire and enjoy a magical evening of dance and fine cuisine. What do you mean we should fuss about worlds being destroyed? Get into the holiday spirit, you scrooge! And in regards to the new-comers: whether you have been wandering Cerealia over the course of the past few days and managed to receive one of the later waves of invitations or have simply suddenly appeared in the gardens with nothing but the (hopefully…. appropriate….) clothes on your back, welcome. The gardens have been transformed through the work of slave labor condoned by royalty incredibly talented volunteers. A buffet line possibly a mile long, a sprawling dance floor with temporary wood placement to cover the grass, a lovely orchestra with scheduled interruptions of magic shows on the stage, and the entire thing lit gently with lights stretch the span of the main area of the garden. Not too far off, there are ponds and pathways that take you elsewhere into the foliage, but why would you go that way? The party’s right here! "Good evening, everyone!! Whether you are new to Tellus or old, I hope to find you in good spirits. Mind you, I do not intend to ignore the blunders of CERES nor the grave situation that new-comers have found themselves faced with. However I assure you that at this time, surrounded by these people, you are in good company. Please, dine and be merry - I believe some worlds celebrated a holiday yesterday! Get to know one another so we may strengthen our ties and stand firm against whatever this world may throw against us! Also try the salmon, it's absolutely divine. . . . How do I turn this off...? Should I just walk away?"

//SCENARIOS.EXE PHASE I [ xxxx ] Like any respectable ball, your entrance is announced as you walk right into the party! What do you mean you wanted to slip in unnoticed? That simply won’t do. Natalia managed to rope in someone – is that a Tellus native? – to do the honor of acknowledging your character as they make their debut to the ball. This guy is under strict orders to not miss a single soul. If your character doesn’t give him a name and title ahead of time, then he’ll just make something up. Think along the lines of Broseidon McSnootyname, Duke of Erectile Dysfunction-- What do you mean that’s not your name? PHASE II [ xxxx ] Absolutely no expense was spared when it came to making sure that the food here was the best that money could buy (or threats could extort). Guests can select from a menagerie of main dishes from all sorts of cultures, adorable desserts that look like woodland creatures alongside towering cakes, and even those fruity drinks with the little umbrellas on them. Pig out, you animals – but there’s also a wide selection of fine wine if your tastes and curiosities wander off in that direction…. What even is the drinking age in Tellus? Remember, folks, drink (ir)responsibly. PHASE III [ xxxx ] Well, it is a ball. If you’re interested in proper, classical styles of dance, there’s certainly an orchestra that’s dominating most of the night. One of their songs may or may not sound familiar. Spin around in your flurry of skirts and do the fairy tale thing if that’s what you came here for. Romance, or whatever. Waltz your heart out and don’t forget to point your toes! … that said, there’s also a separate sound system not too far, prepared in case the orchestra might want a break. It’s also not being watched too closely. Maybe put on something to liven up the dance floor? Or did someone ruin your fantasy by putting on something unbearably inappropriate? PHASE IV [ xxxx ] The gardens really are beautiful. Spread throughout the area and more toward the outskirts of the party, there are plenty of beautiful fountains with glittering, crystal clear water. In fact, it’s so clear that you can spot the occasional alien life form flitting through it amidst the lily pads and gently sweeping foliage. It’s so graceful, what beauty! Look at how it rises to the water and gently opens its mouth into a yawn and—tries to chomp anything within range right off with razor sharp teeth what the fuck, whatthefuck. It would appear that's not all, though. Whether you're ready to fight the creature or run screaming, you feel something slowly slide and curl around your arm or your ankle. Look on in horror as you turn your head and realize that it seems that the nearby tree has grown rather fond of you very quickly, to the extent that it will reach out and lovingly wrap its hentai tentacles around you.... Brings a whole 'nother meaning to 'tree hugger', doesn't it? BONUS [ whyo'clock ] Are you lost? Did you try to catch your breath away from the party and start to wander off despite all the cautioning not to? Or maybe you were trying to leave and took a wrong turn? Either way, you seem to have only found yourself deeper in the gardens now. Try not to breathe too deeply or… at all. If you can’t manage that though, it appears that you’ve stumbled upon the hallucinogenic plants of the garden. You start to see things that aren’t there – though whether you suddenly find yourself in a den of cougars lions or think that the person standing next to you is the biggest, cuddliest pile of adorable puppies in the world depends on the person. Hope you have a good trip, bruh. [ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with trigger-y or inappropriate material and do let me know (through FAQ comment or PM preferably!) if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so I can lock the log. ]

//RUN.EXE Welcome to CEREALIA's latest intro post! This one is player-run and all the basics have been laid out for you here. Absolutely feel free to come up with your own prompts, I just attempted to set the scenery! For your convenience, I whole-heartedly welcome questions and inquiries being directed to my attention here and I'll answer them to the best of my ability! Have a ball! Enjoy!! OVERFLOW IS HERE Move over at your captcha-free leisure!

Comments

[faithfulflame]

[Rei does smile, but it's just a touch awkward, confused.]

Cheese.

[And once that's done, she turns and looks at the cake.]

This...must be a trend in the future. I don't see the point.

[faithfulflame]

Oh? Archer made this?

[Rei actively brightens at that. Whoops, she happens to like Archer. He'd been a good host, and taken the time to give her a gift too. Even though they'd met once.]

[fittedgloves]

I see. [ That explains why he knows of her but she never met him, at least. (For now). ]

Even students in the reserve course were guaranteed success, weren't they?

[om_nom_namur]

[Not fisherman, just fishman. But she's got the right idea.]

Nnnnaw but I got the gist. Humans is generally assholes no matter where y' go an' they got yer fins. Can y'... y'know. Breathe underwater still?

[dishonorstudent]

What-- hey-- what the hell do you think you're doing?!?

[ She's trying to resist being pulled further, but at the same time she'll draw more unnecessary attention to herself if she starts struggling too much. She can only hope that Nonon is joking because this is definitely not how she wanted to spend her evening!! ]

[impheired]

[Her logic isn't entirely wrong, because he does...but he also doesn't. It's complicated.]

Don't worry about it. I'm fine with this. [He indicates the plate in his hands, which does actually have a bit of (almost entirely Japanese) food on it that from the tables that aren't covered with desserts.] I was just... Er. [He's not sure how to finish that. He was just...what? Staring? Spacing out? He wasn't really DOING anything and now that he's drawn attention to this fact, it's super awkward.]

You just kind of reminded me of someone back home. [It's said half mumbled and kind of fast, he's kind of embarrassed to be admitting it at all.] Didn't mean to bother you, sorry.

I

[meridione]

[Do you feel a deeply suspicious gaze on you as you wallflower, Kuzuryuu? It's not just your imagination. Since hearing him announced as "yakuza," Romana - who knows what that word means from conversations with Japan comparing organized crime problems - has been keeping a wary eye on him. She can't keep it up permanently, because she does have to go play in the orchestra, but you can bet that she'll be doing it as long as she can.

Until, of course, he catches her staring. Then her cheeks will flush with embarrassment at being caught and she'll look off to one side.]

I-I'm not looking at you!

[She was totally looking at him.]

[om_nom_namur]

Dude that face is creepy as hell.

[But Namur snickers, even as he scrubs a big webbed hand down the front of Usopp's face, tweaking the end of his nose.]

How long y' been here, Usopp? Met anyone else from the same place as us?

[failures]

[A match made in heaven has clearly happened. ...it could have happened in a less unfortunate way but alas.

Larry's currently sprawled on the ground, rubbing his aching forehead and trying to get a handle of what the heck just happened. Did he fall? Where did that bridge go??

He snaps up when he hears a voice.]

Mmgh--! Is someone there?

[He rolls over to look behind him, and discovers Usopp. Oh crap--]

O-Oh jeez, I'm sorry dude! I didn't even see you there- I thought I was goin' over a bridge and all of the sudden I was here!

[This is so awkward.]

[niceguypose]

[He wasn't trying to crash into her, but these things happen. He is probably moving too fast, and he may just knock right into her. Poor Inaba... not ninja enough.]

Inaba-saaa- [He says just before he realized the imminent crash.] -aaawrrrry!

[niceguypose]

N-no. But... What will you do here? [he hasn't had enough time with his CereVice to spend the entire evening in a corner texting, so Lee will be thankful for that much at least.]

[impheired]

[Tiny high schoolers unite! Bless you for not assuming he's 12, Nonon. Bless you.]

What...the fuck is a euphoniumist? [He's looking at the orchestra but, nope he just doesn't have a damn clue what she's talking about. He can't even fathom a guess as to what kind of instrument a euphonium is.] And what's wrong with him?

[garbage_can]

[ Fudou-san . . . ]

Just 'Yuusei' is fine.

[ He does a slight mental backpedal though -- he's not used to speaking that way. To bowing. He's not even sure he really knows the exact rules of etiquette there, it's not really something they do in Satellite anyway. ]

[shikisha]

[ Despite her size, Nonon is pretty strong. She obviously is, being a Deva, and even wearing a Goku Uniform, even if it's not transformed. So she's going to tug a little harder. ]

I'm going to teach you how to dance, because you're the only person I know here, and I'm not going to dance by myself! And... I like this piece!

[ Of course she does. And hey, it's not like Nonon wanted to be separated from Satsuki either! They have to take what they can get!! ]

[niceguypose]

[They shouldn't be that surprising to Lee. Where he comes from, there's many who wear their scars openly.

But he doesn't know much about Peko or the world that she's from. He had come to expect those from other worlds to be different. He never guessed that she was concealing that.

He shakes his head softly.]

No, Peko-san. I am not bothered at all. I- I was simply surprised by it, and concerned if it was some recent wound. That is all. You know, you are no less pretty! [He gives a chipper thumbs up to assure her.]

[ukakus]

[She's quiet. So, so very quiet, because this type of situation is one that she has tried to avoid for so long. It seems like ages ago, but she once told Kaneki that she would kill his friend if he ever found out. Does that threat still stand? After what happened with Nishiki's girlfriend, she's not so sure. She wouldn't even think about this twice, if it were Yoriko who found out.

This is all giving her one heck of a stomach ache, in any case. Is Kaneki aware of this mess? She's not sure if it's better if he is, or isn't.]

Let's say... [She's trying to act as she normally would, but it's a little hard. She clears her throat and tries again.] Let's say that you're right... and that I trust you. What would you have me do?

I figure 'y'know gon wouldn't have pockets in this thing...' so HAH yes.

[otoko]

[Honestly he'd normally default to no honorific if this was outside a setting like this--but he has that added awkward feeling of 'ok this is a party you have to at least be a BIT more polite right?'

So 'just Yuusei' brings perhaps a bit of visible relief to Gongenzaka's expression.] Yuusei--right. For me, 'Gongenzaka' is fine then.

[Well that's squared away then. As he crosses his arms to say this, Yuusei might catch a glimpse of something around the man's wrist--it's not quite like a duel disk but... Hmm.]

II

[failures]

[At some point during Kousetsu's food ventures, he'll notice a friendly tap on his shoulder.

...Okay it's actually more like someone's trying to hang on his shoulder, which is exactly what Larry is doing. He's also munching on one of those hotdog on a stick appetizers.]

Hey Kousetsu! That coat looks super classy!

[He'll let go quickly enough, moving around so they can see face to face.]

How're things going?

[faithfulflame]

[She wouldn't have minded. It's not like he's not a foreigner.]

The Fiery Priestess of Fire River Temple.

[Yes, that was exactly it.]

[dishonorstudent]

[ Th-that's a lot of reasons there, Nonon... ]

Get to know someone else.

[ ...and yet she's still on the dancefloor with her before she has a chance to protest further.

Okay... what happens now?

This is so embarrassing and completely unwarranted. ]

III

[meridione]

[God, it's not like she wanted to dance anyway!! Romana had approached him mostly because it's sort of lonely to be a wallflower and watch everyone else having fun, but if he'd rather just stay that way, no skin off her nose.]

Harsh. What, do you not know how to dance or something?

[And by "no skin off her nose" I of course mean she's actually sort of offended by the curt dismissal so of course she's asking rude questions. Of course she is.]

[adornmental]

[THE END RESULT IS THE SAME good lord... But Kashuu really does seem pleased by it, after he gets over the initial surprise. He keeps reaching up to touch it and readjust it and honestly, the first thing he'll do when he leaves is head for the nearest reflective surface to see what it looks like. For now, just wearing something that matches Souji is nice - and wearing a pretty gift always is, of course.

At the explanation behind the gifting, there's another smile, this one a little more fleeting but also softer. He really is touched... But he's not one to gush or get mushy, so instead of the heartfelt thanks his expression conveys, he just says:]

Is it cute?

[adornmental]

[A thoughtful pause...]

She kinda had it pinned up so I'm not sure how long it really is. Maybe?

[garbage_can]

[ Now it's Yuusei's turn to stare. Sort of intensely, but that's just his default, don't be too alarmed by it. His eyes focus on the ... well, whatever it is. Even if it isn't a duel disk, it's still interesting.

(Yuusei would have to admit, if asked, that he did waste more time than advised poking around at the Cerevice with fascination). ]

Gogenzaka, then.

[ Kind of like nice to meet you, right? ]

[serving_love]

[Sanji doesn't exactly have his haki on high alert right now, though he probably really should because he still doesn't quite know what the fuck is going on with this world -- but even so, he feels that tackle coming about half a second before Usopp connects, which isn't enough time for him to do much of anything. He's about to send his heel slamming backwards into Usopp's knee, except then he speaks and that's a voice Sanji knows all too well.]

Usopp?!

[He twists around, smile exploding over his face.........and then freezes.

And blinks.

Annnd glances from the familiar but wrong face down to the skinny arms around his waist.

Huh.

Back to his face.

...Well, at least that shitty nose never changes. But.]

What the hell?

[As relieved as he is, can't help looking a little bewildered over here.]