[WORLD ONE | DING DONG THE FISH IS DEAD]

[spellbindmods]

Who: Coven members and the Palai
Where: Celebrating the Uvi going boom-boom
When: Day 67
Open/Closed: Open to All
OOC Note:

The initial setting information found here should be utilized for threads here.

There's no official OOC account for the Palai people. You're free to roleplay their actions and reactions on your own, as in depth as you want -- asking questions, hand-waved interactions, becoming best friends. The new world is your oyster!

For decades, the Palai have had to deal with the threat of the Uvi invading their homes, killing their families and returning 30 days later. After the coven found their way to Aimintas, the Palai found that the threat wasn't so...threatening. After the last attack, with many more Palai lost as compared to previous Uvi instances, some Palai had lost hope. Now, after seeing their nemesis blown to bits and falling out of the ocean, their faith in safety is restored. While the Uvi are still committed (by and large) to learning more about barriers and other forms of safety, the time for focusing on serious things has passed. It will return, but tonight? They celebrate. Unlike their last, shrimpy festival, this party has a lot more going for it. The Palai have had time to process the events and prepare themselves for a grand celebration. The Palai know how to party, but you ain't seen nothin' like this. A ▢ As a birthday tradition, the Palai give the birthday lizard a special concoction. It contains Elto energy and a combination of found herbs that can easily be located in Aimintas. When these herbs are combined with the Elto energy, they create a sort of...hallucinogenic experience. It's supposed to feel extremely relaxing and give the Palai pleasant visions, but in human bodies it's essentially just getting high. There are vials of these being passed around like candy, so don't worry about anyone running out. B ▢ Despite the adults getting lit, there are obviously a lot of baby Palai on the lose. Responsible coven members who have their own babies will have the ability to let them run wild and play with their lizardy cousins. If you want to spend time with your baby, the nursery caretakers have platters of crackers with mushy foods adorning them -- these are essentially candy to a tiny Palai. They may also be tempted by other foods present at the festivities, but you can avoid them getting a tummy ache if you have a watchful eye. C ▢ Speaking of food, there certainly is a lot of it. There are large grills being heated by the newly found bone structures. These hold shrimp and fish, grilled vegetable skewers and other foods. Instead of the Palai doing the serving, the coven members and other Palai are instead encouraged to utilize their own raw ingredients (which includes several large sharks, dolphins, etc.) in whatever fashion they choose. It's essentially a "build-your-own-kabob" station with no limits. D ▢ Because the party is lasting on into the night, some Elto have decided to light the marketplace with some of the bone structures they found by powering them and inserting them into small cloth bags that they then magically levitate around. While they provide a powerful light source that can increase the party's longevity, they're also floating live wires. Bump into one of these and you'll get a nasty shock! This is doubly concerning since Palai babies are fascinated by following these floating "toys." E ▢ The Palai, feeling more familial and supportive of their ideals than ever, haven't let go of the whole family/romance pushing on the coven. Their newest attempt is a bit of a prank (probably due to high Palais) who have taken magic bone structures and tied thick strings to the spines that poke out of them. At the end of these strings are loops that they're quickly slipping around the wrists of coven members they find. You may find that you're suddenly magically connected to someone -- or two other people if you're lucky enough -- by a magical thread that's VERY hard to slip out of or break. F ▢ Wildcard Part 1: Other previous party prompts can also be considered here, from the rolls that make magic go haywire to the aged liquor that causes a bit more than a headache. G ▢ Wildcard Part 2: Any prompt you like!

Comments

a

[deem]

[9S' first thought is that Jude is going to give those Palai some really funny ideas, getting cozy to this degree. They'd already decided not to worry about those misunderstandings, but he can't help but think it. The second thought, which chases off the first, is that if he moves he's pretty sure he's going to knock something over.

That's been his track record so far, and he has his doubts that it's going to get better, the way his visual inputs continue to flicker unsteadily at even the slightest turn of his head. It's bad enough that he's removed his goggles to try and alleviate the effects, but...no luck so far]

Jude, are you...? [This stuff affects humans? Whatever it is, he doesn't like it...] Maybe you should...you know...sit?

[In case he's going to knock people and tables over too.

Look it's not his fault he's stronger than your average snack table, alright...]

[talim]

Nngh.

[ jude is lightheaded and dizzy and maybe a little bit nauseous but he feels so good and yeah, okay, he should sit. that's not a bad idea.

but he manages to drag 9s down with him with a harsh grasp to his sleeve, ending up in an awkward tangle of limbs. 9s is all but crushing him with his weight, but jude stares up at him, wide-eyed.

he releases a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and laughs, feeling so free. ]

Have I ever told you you have beautiful eyes? They're this... this color. They're nice. It's a nice color.

[ never mind that 9s is kind of crushing him. his eyes are more important. he Needs to know. ]

[deem]

[The last thing 9S expects is to be dragged down to sit right there on the floor. Or rather half on Jude, which he's vaguely aware is a problem. Not for any of the conventional reasons so much as the awareness that he's pretty heavy compared to a human. Now, if the world would just settle down and stay still for a moment, he could correct this.

Except he's then distracted by the comment about his eyes. Jude has, in fact, commented about them before. His senses are foggy but his recall isn't, and he's no less embarrassed by such an earnest statement than he was the first time...

So of course his first reflex is to cover his face because he shouldn't be warm on top of dizzy but he is.

The result's more like slapping himself in the face, however. Ow]

...You did, but I...it's standard... [The words are muffled until he drops his hand, settling it on Jude's shoulder so he can try and...pick himself up here. This might as well be surgery for all that his coordination's done for] Not unique like yours.

[Scanners are all for details]

[talim]

Unique?

[ that surprises him. nobody has ever said anything like that about his eyes before. ]

I don't know about that... Not like yours.

[ but deep down, he's curious. what else does 9s think? ]

[deem]

[Just give him a few moments to work his way through the terribly complicated process of maneuvering himself into a seat on the floor without knocking Jude over with his android weight here. So far as he can tell at least he didn't hurt him, but still...

The Palai don't exactly need more material to work with, and being close seems to be all they need to work with.

He doesn't get very far, just plonks down right beside the other boy]

2B's are the exact same color, you know... [But he's pretty sure Jude could find something to appreciate about anybody. It's one of his better qualities] On the other hand, show me somebody with eyes like yours.

[talim]

Even if they are, they still aren't yours.

[ a flush rises onto his cheeks, and it's not exactly from the high. ]

I...

[ he's at a loss for words. ]

I've never been good at accepting compliments. I still don't see what's so special.

[deem]

[Jude, 9S thinks, is a very honest person. It's something he finds a little strange, even a little frightening, because he's seen what the world can do to people like that. He doesn't want to see it happen to him, not if he can help it.

But then, in moments like these, that honesty is bewildering in its own right too]

Well, they're... [He trails off. It seems like he's already embarrassed Jude, putting him on the spot like this, but...] I've seen very few things that were that color. And besides that, they're warm. Like your hands. Or like your nature.

[They suit him. He can't imagine something different would, in the same way. Not that he's got much mind for imagining things right now, static still buzzing in his ears]

[talim]

[ with 9s sitting right next to him, it's too easy to let his head droop down to rest on his shoulder. it's surprisingly comfortable — not to mention comforting. unless 9s wants him to, he doesn't plan on moving anytime soon. ]

... You really think such calloused hands are warm?

[ there's clear surprise in his voice. surprise and interest and a hint of affection. this is nice. seeing 9s relax like this is nice. relaxing against 9s is nice. everything about this is just... nice. ]

[deem]

[9S spares a moment to give Jude a pointed glance, at least as best he can from this position. His vision swims and flickers and he's struck with remorse for having moved his head at all, but it is what it is]

You say that like they're a bad thing. [And it seems wrong to him, as someone whose body will never develop such things, no matter what he weathers. He hesitates for a moment, if only because his tactile nature isn't quite the same as Jude's, and he knows the locals seem to be keen on misconstruing every gesture between them. But that moment passes, and he collects one of those callused hands in his] They're a mark of the things you've seen and done, and how you've grown from them.

[It's more literal than it sounds, in 9S' eyes. Calluses are a physical adaptation, and therefore a distinct development in response to whatever Jude has encountered. As an android, he can appreciate what that means]

They're a part of you. [A beat, and he adds] And they are warm.

[talim]

You know...

[ jude sort of nuzzles into 9s' shoulder with a brief pause before he continues. ]

My friends back home told me the same thing, once. That they're just proof of the journey I've been on, and the strength it took to get me there. That these hands were meant to protect. That they have.

[ his smile grows fonder, thinking of them. they were so insistent on it. he squeezes 9s' hand, grateful for the kind, thoughtful words. even when inebriated he still manages to be articulate. ]

So it means a lot to me to hear that from you. I wish you could meet them. I know they'd like you.

[ there's still alvin, but....... maxwell knows how that will go. ]

[deem]

[He's glad, then, that Jude has heard it before. Maybe it's just the case that he needed to be reminded, as he supposes humans do. Where his own memory is just as crisp regardless of whether it was a year ago or moments ago, barring forcible intervention or data corruption, he understands human memory can fade.

And sometimes people may need to be reminded of what they already knew]

Your friends, huh...well, guess you'll have to believe it then. [He wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if there were a lot of them] What're they like, anyway?

[It might be something he'd like to talk about, and so 9S gives him the opening to do so. At least while they're sitting here he doesn't have to worry so much about his lack of coordination, much less making a scene or breaking something. Whatever the locals gave him is eerily like the E-drug back home]

[talim]

[ jude hums in thought. this is important to him. he wants to get it right, paint 9s a clear picture. ]

Milla is... I've explained who Milla is plenty, I think. Alvin is, er. Alvin. You'll meet him soon; it turns out he ended up here barely a week ago. Elize is a sweet girl, barely thirteen, but she's so strong, so brave, has overcome so much. She's like a little sister to me. Even a daughter.

[ he laughs, sheepish. he knows he's too young, but he's always had instincts leaning toward maternal when it comes to elize. ]

Rowen is a tactician, a legend, a headstrong man in the history books. And Leia? I grew up with her. We both used to work at my parents' clinic. We're childhood best friends, and we're sort of polar opposites, but I wouldn't change that for the world.

[deem]

[They sound like a colorful bunch, Jude's friends. He can only wonder what it must be like. His closest relationship back home, and still yet here, is with 2B. It's a complicated mess with their history and all of that still lingers between them like a wall neither is quite willing to acknowledge the existence of, lest they have to confront it.

Even so, she's family to him. And he thinks that the people Jude describes are his family in turn. It's a nice thought, and one he's pleased for, because his first human friend seems like the sort of person who couldn't have too many people in his life]

What's it like growing up with someone, anyway? [A pause, and he supposes he'll add something, albeit small] Androids like me just kind of get rolled out as-is, so I don't know what that'd be like.

[But he remembers Mikleo talking about growing up with Sorey and the interests they shared. Is it like that with Jude and Leia?]

[talim]

[ a colorful bunch indeed. ]

It's interesting. Leia is... she has her quirks. When we were younger, she used to shout sparring time! and beat me to the ground. She helped me up every time, though. We had a lot of odd little traditions like that.

When Leia was younger, she was in a serious accident. She needed physical therapy. That's how we met — it was a long, difficult process, but I stayed with her until she could walk on her own again. After that, we spent a lot of our time assisting the other patients, too. We grew up in a small seaside town. There still isn't all that much there, so we had to keep the kids entertained.

Growing up alongside someone, seeing them change and grow, seeing what stays the same... There's nothing else like it. Leia has always supported me, brought out the best in me.

[deem]

[9S listens quietly. They're concepts he can only imagine, experiences that he can't directly relate to. Still, Jude's fondness for his friend is evident in his voice, and he can understand that part. What must it be like, growing alongside somebody that way?

It's something androids can't really know, but it's nice to hear about it. He thinks he can understand a little better, just for that much. Still, one question remains by the time Jude has finished speaking]

Why'd she beat you though?

[Surely humans don't get the same fulfillment out of battle that androids are designed to...right?]

[talim]

[ jude laughs. milla had asked the same exact question. ]

We were just playing! We actually trained in martial arts together. Her mom is a champion.

[deem]

Does that mean she fights barehanded too?

[Maybe Leia's got some callused hands as well then]

[talim]

No, she uses a staff. It's pretty impressive, actually.

[deem]

A blunt weapon...

[Interesting, and not something he'd expect]

Tough to counter if you're close range though.

[talim]

Yeah, well, she's good with it. She knows how to dodge, she's quick on her feet, and she knows spirit artes and healing artes too. Just like me.

[deem]

[He sits up a little straighter, only for his vision to flicker again. With a sigh, he rubs a hand over his eyes.

The static he can stubbornly ignore, but his vision just won't steady. What was in that stuff?]

I mean, your range is shorter, right?

[9S lifts their joined hands to illustrate his point]

[talim]

Yeah, that's true. Using a staff gives Leia a much wider range in battle. She also has a habit of stealing items from enemies... but I can't say I feel too bad about it.

[deem]

[Wait you don't just loot corpses and enemy remains what is this barbarism—]

Sounds like she's got a versatile skillset.

[It's tough to picture though]

What about you? I've just seen you fight once.

1/2

[talim]

Well...

[ he looks down at his hands, swaying a bit. the effects still haven't faded, not entirely, but he thinks he can pull it off. ]

I can do—

2/3

[talim]

— this!

[ and in the blink of an eye, he's on the opposite side of 9s, facing his back. ]

It's called a snap pivot—