[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

[deem]

[No big deal, 2B's carried him around like this.

Even his pod has carried him...]

You weigh less than half of what I do.

[Good answer, right?]

[talim]

That doesn't exactly answer the question, but I'm going to take that as a yes.

[ as comfortable as it is up here, gonna put him down anytime soon, nines? ]

[deem]

[Give him a moment]

...Sorry I kind of overreacted a bit.

[Maybe his cognitive functions were influenced more than he thought]

I just didn't want to see you get hurt.

[talim]

Don't worry about it.

[ jude's smile is dazed, but happy. ]

It's nice to have someone to rely on to catch me if I fall.

[ jude stop being cheesy. jude. jude. ]

[deem]

I mean, I hope you don't make a habit of it, but...

[Androids exist to protect mankind. And beyond that, Jude is his friend.

Of course he'd try to help him]

Didn't I say I'd look out for you?

[Not that he meant something like this, exactly]

[talim]

No, I don't think I'll make a habit of consuming this stuff, but it sure is nice.

[ jude beams at him with blatant admiration. ]

... You did.

[deem]

[Jude please, this open admiration stuff is so much.

He sure could overload an android or two. As it stands, 9S tries to redirect focus, which is only partly concerned with how warm his face feels and the lack of goggles to conceal it]

So um...maybe we should find some chairs?

[Rather than sit on the floor]

[talim]

Do we have to?

[ jude nestles up to 9s' side, resisting the temptation to bury his head in the crook of his neck and make a home there. it's like it's hitting him all over again, a second wind, 9s' careful touch triggering another renewed reaction to the content of the vial(s). ]

I'm fine like this.

[deem]

[The time that 2B carried him like this, he was in a tremendous amount of pain. Having sustained heavy damage, he could barely move. Not to mention, Adam's intrusion into his memory left him only with concerns.

It was a relief to have been retrieved, but he doubt he can compare it with how at ease Jude seems right now. He's not too sure what he ought to make of it, but if he's happy like this, 9S doesn't really mind.

At least he can try to ensure that he doesn't keep falling over, not that his own faculties are much better off]

You really like being close to people, don't you?

[No doubt even more openly so because of whatever the Palai are passing around]

[talim]

Do I?

[ jude considers this. nobody has ever told him that before. if he considered someone who liked to be physically close to people, it'd be alvin, but then again, alvin is only ever clinging onto jude. ]

Not just anyone...

[ he hums. only people he's comfortable around. also, he's high, so, there's that. ]

[deem]

Well, not strangers maybe...

[Trying to apply logic to something that isn't logical at all: 9S. At least his arms can't really get tired supporting Jude's weight while they debate this.

He wonders how different this is for an android than for a human, whatever it was they were given. Jude's vision doesn't seem to be impaired like his]

But that's...probably for the best.

[talim]

I would say I wouldn't let a total stranger carry me around anytime soon, but, well...

[ he flushes, an embarrassed smile that's almost, almost fond curving his lips. ]

It's happened before...

[deem]

[9S huffs out a breath that might've been a laugh if he'd lent it any sound, The amusement's plain on his face though]

Somehow I'm not really surprised.

[Must not have ended badly, since Jude's apparently okay]

[talim]

He used one arm and everything. Just sort of hauled me up like a sack of potatoes.

Then we jumped onto a getaway boat.

[deem]

...Was this guy some kind of criminal?

[That use of "getaway boat" is just a little suspect here Jude.

Did somebody actually kidnap the guy like he was carry-on baggage?]

[talim]

Actually, believe it or not, I was the criminal in the situation. Breaking and entering. I was expelled from school, but he managed to save me from getting arrested. Or worse.

Threw a few punches and grabbed me before I could even register what was happening.

[ jude has So Many Stories, 9s. you just haven't asked. ]

[deem]

[9S thinks about this for a short while in thoughtful silence.

Somebody like Jude, a criminal?]

You almost had me going for a second there.

[He's not buying it]

I don't think anybody'd believe something like that.

[talim]

[ jude tosses his head back and laughs, wholeheartedly. ]

Right? I almost didn't believe it myself. Everything was so surreal. But it's how I met Milla. She's the one who got me into that whole mess.

And then Alvin swooped in and picked me up once Milla fled on her own, and... well, things just took a course of their own from there.

... You seriously don't believe me? Really? What, you don't think I'm capable of a little troublemaking?

[deem]

Not even a little.

[Said without any hesitation whatsoever. His senses may be impaired but he thinks Jude's remembering some pretty elaborate fiction here.

Maybe all those awful Palai stories got to him...]

[talim]

[ wow. 9s seriously doesn't believe him. ]

When you meet Alvin, ask him. He'll tell you all about it.

[deem]

You think I'd believe some guy I haven't met more than you?

[Really Jude? Really?]

[talim]

Some guy? I traveled with Alvin for almost a year!

[ oh my god. really 9s? really? ]

You have my word on this. Have I ever broken my word?

[deem]

You can know people for a long time and still understand them very little.

[Which is a heavy thought for all that he says it so casually]

You're an honest person, but that's the same reason I don't imagine you could be a criminal.

1/2

[talim]

[ that... hearing that sort of kills jude's mood. there's a subtle change in his expression, a shift. he looks less lighthearted than he did just a moment ago.

he does his best to hide it, though. he'd rather not explain. ]

... Maybe.

[ he doesn't have anything more to say about that. ]

2/2

[talim]

Okay, look. There's a different between committing a crime and being a real, hardened criminal. All I did was break into a secret lab? And then I got attacked, and then Milla appeared and saved me, and then...

[ and then, and then, and then. jude's head is spinning. sometimes he forgets how Wild this whole journey has been. ]

I ended up getting saved a lot, huh.