[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]

Well, there's vegetables, and we know shrimp's safe...

[Although he feels like the locals really need to cool it with their enthusiasm over shrimp already, at least they know a few options aren't potentially lethal. He'd really like to know if any of the species here would react to their systems like mackerel does, but the locals wouldn't have the first idea, he's sure.

It's tough living the life of an android, sometimes]

[apatheia]

[But the fish... Okay no, given that she only decided to try eating the Palai food out of a whim, it feels a bit nonsensical to suddenly get picky now. Although she really is disappointed that she can't try any of the fish, at least not with how everything's set up here. Still, she'd rather not add death by mackerel to her list of deaths.]

They really do like shrimp though, don't they? [She hasn't even tried any of it, and she's still a little tired of seeing it so much.]

[deem]

Sure seems like it. At that last celebration they even had giant fake ones made of fabric stuffed with some kind of cushioning.

[Actually he's been meaning to foist that off on give that obnoxiously huge thing to 2B. He's got no idea what else she's supposed to do with such a...prize... But maybe it'd make a decent pillow?

Who else would he give obnoxiously large, bizarre choices in stuffed animals?]

I uh. Won one for hitting fake shrimp that popped up out of holes in some console.

[apatheia]

Really? [That honestly seems more useful than the sack of gold coins she got....] What do you plan to do with it?

[She's really just curious. It could probably be used as a pillow, but it's not like they need anything more than what they've already been provided with from the Palai. Who needs something as frivolous as a shrimp pillow??

(Never mind that 2B could probably stand to have some more frivolous things in her life anyways...)]

[deem]

[She sure did give him a good opening for this subject, though he still flounders with a response. It's a fine show of him opening his mouth, closing it, fidgeting, and trying again. He remembers once that 2B commented on unwanted gifts being rude...]

Well, I was...thinking maybe...you might like it?

[Since they go fishing together and all, it seems appropriate. Not to mention the fact that she's the person he'd be most likely to gift anything to. She's important to him, and he's never gotten to give her much of anything aside maintenance and grief]

[apatheia]

Me?

[She sounds a little startled. Honestly, she has no idea why 9S would want to give this to her... What would she do with it? Besides, he won it himself. Shouldn't he use it for himself anyways?

On the other hand, there's something... Nice, about the fact that he thought of giving it to her. It's not like this is the first time he's tried to give her something, but this is the first time she feels like she could accept it without (much) hesitation. There's no danger in getting attached.

Not like that ever worked before anyways, but.]

Are you sure? You won it, so you should use it as you like.

[deem]

Unless you didn't want it, that's the best use I can imagine for it.

[It serves no practical purpose, and he understands its utility is assuredly limited. Unlike a weapon, which they could make use of just about anywhere, something like that plush was simply some kind of houseware. But he thinks there might be some value in having something that isn't oriented only toward a combative role.

They've got more than enough weaponry between them, surely]

...Not that I'd want to be rude or anything.

[Because he remembers, of course, her comments about gift-giving. It's said with good humor more than caution, in the face of her surprise]

[apatheia]

... You're not being rude.

[Even though he's saying it lightly, she knows why he's saying it in the first place. It's not that she needs or even wants a giant stuffed shrimp, but there's something nice about the fact that he wants to give it to her all the same. Even with the t-shirts, she was able to give him something for the gift he got her. This isn't quite the same.]

I don't have anything I could give to you in return though. [Maybe she could find something he'd like??]

[deem]

[He's relieved to hear that she doesn't mind it, and it shows in the smile that curves his lips. Unlike shirts, it's not something they had discussed and agreed upon before. And for that reason, on top of it being something that didn't have the sort of utility to which they're accustomed, 9S couldn't be sure how she'd take to the idea.

Doing things for her, whether they're practical or not...he's grateful for the opportunity]

You give me lots of things without thinking about it. Besides, it's not like it needs to be a trade, right?

[apatheia]

I guess it doesn't, but... [But she still wants to repay him for this!! It doesn't help that she really can't think of what she might've given him before. (Aside from who knows how many executions but that doesn't count......)]I'll just have to get you another gift later then.

[Is this the beginning of a gift-giving war?? It could be. Still... She's curious.]

What have I given you before?

[deem]

[And faced with this question, 9S hesitates. Where they come from, they usually exchanged resources, information, and assistance as partners in the field would. What he refers to is far more metaphorical, and far more sentimental. He's not quite sure what 2B will think of such an answer.

Biting his lip, he debates with himself before he ventures a response. The time elapsed speaks more than he means it to]

...You give me strength, for starters.

[More than he thinks she knows. He doesn't mean it the practical way: her raw power far outclasses him, and he does benefit from that when facing waves of enemies, but he feels that he as an individual draws strength from being around her. From wanting to protect her, despite how absurd it must seem for a Scanner to feel that way about her unit type]

[apatheia]

[She really isn't sure what to think of his answer, but not because of how sentimental it is. She'd listen to anything 9S told her, no matter if it was trivial or something she didn't really know how to respond to. Even though she purposefully chose not to engage in anything emotional back home for a multitude of reasons, that wasn't the case here. Those reasons didn't exist anymore.

Although it's not like she knows how to either. Old habits are hard to break.]

... You're already plenty strong on your own. [The idea that she could somehow give him strength, in the face of what she's really given him before, is frankly baffling to her. But it's not like she wants to take that away from him. Even if she doesn't understand, there's something unspeakably warm about it.] But if that's the case, I'm glad.

[deem]

[He can only wonder whether 2B would believe that if she knew the truth, but he remains afraid of the answer himself. If he told her what he'd been through and all that had transpired, would she really think that he was strong? His doubts hang heavily over him, but there isn't anything he can do to ease those doubts.

In the end, he'd felt so terribly brittle and alone]

You do more than I think you realize.

[And truly, that's one of the things he values and admires about 2B. For all their tortured history, he knows her kindness. He'd been a beneficiary of it, and he's watched her go well out of her way for others, even if what they ask of her is trivial and hardly worth the expense of time and effort. She doesn't even complain about it, though the same can't be said of him.

He wound up with a lot of sand in his boots all for some roses, once]

[apatheia]

I only do my duty.

[For all the good and bad that entails. She almost makes it past tense, that she did her duty back home, no matter what it cost her. But with humans alive and well here, she's still doing her duty she thinks, just in a way that she never actually expected to.

Although she knows her reply isn't necessarily true anyways. There were a lot of requests and favors people had, both androids and machines, and sure that wasn't necessarily part of her duty, but she couldn't see any reason not to help them out. Not when it was well within their power to do so. It might not have been the duty given to her by YoRHa, but she always felt she might as well help if she could.]

[deem]

[He ought to expect that sort of response. Even so, he can only smile and shake his head. 2B understates herself in this, because she's done so much more than others would consider their duty. That she considers it one at all speaks to the kind of person she is, and only underscores his own point.

She's done more for him than she'll ever know.

It's why he tries, in what fashion he can, to repay that. Unfortunately all he's come up with is silence on matters he thinks it cruel to trouble her with. For all the conflict that's existed within him, he doesn't doubt how much he cares. It fills him with equal measures of admiration and worry]

But it still matters, you know?

[apatheia]

[Did it matter though? All she can think of is 6O's broken last message. Thank you for the flowers. And then she died, along with the rest of YoRHa in the Bunker. She followed not long after. Knowing she was able to protect 9S in the end was more than enough for her to be satisfied with her death, but when she thinks of all that she'd done while alive... She's not sure how much of it might've actually mattered, in the end.

They make for poor thoughts though, especially in this festival with everyone celebrating. She tries to push them aside instead.]

You've given me a lot too, you know. [And she doesn't mean just the shrimp pillow.]

[deem]

[In turn 9S isn't sure that he's really given her much of anything. He's supported her of course and provided maintenance, but these were both things that he was assigned to, and thus should be expected of him. Was she referring to memories, or something even less tangible, as he had just done?]

Supporting you is what I do, after all.

[Ultimately it feels like the safest answer to give, rather than asking what else he could've truly provided. He remembers her last words. That recording is still stored in his memory, and it's precious to him, but in the end...

In the end he can't forget that when she surely needed him most, he was too late. And it seems to him that was something she anticipated all along. Perhaps even intended]

oh my god i hate html

[apatheia]

[He gave her a reason to live. "Support" doesn't even begin to describe what she believes he's given her.

Naturally though, that's not something she expects him to remember. Besides, in a festival like this, happy and lively as it is, it doesn't feel appropriate to think back on that. Granted, it's not something she likes to think back on in the first place.]

You do much more than that. [But she doesn't explain further, instead turning her attention back to the food.] If we're going to eat, we should do so before they run out.

and in turn, it hates us all

[deem]

[More than that... 9S can only wonder. Maybe 2B is giving him far too much credit.

In any case, she's right. With a party of this size, if they want to have anything to eat, they should probably get on that sooner rather than later. For one thing, they need to ensure whatever they do have isn't related to mackerel in any way]

...Right. I have to say, it's pretty impressive what these little guys can put away.

[Sure does make him wonder about the Palai metabolism]

[apatheia]

If they all eat like this, we might have to gather a lot for your own hatchling. [Will they need to cook for it though.... Do either of them know how to cook........... This Palai kid is in for a unique experience, that's for sure.]

[deem]

[9S glances in the direction of the penned-in area some of the smaller Palai children currently occupy, including the one he's responsible for. His attention lingers there, though the little Elto seems content to scribble away on some paper he'd supplied]

Crackers were a really big hit earlier, I can't believe how many something so small can consume.

[Eventually he'd been informed he needed to stop providing one every time little hands reached up for them. Off to quite the start, 9S]

[apatheia]

In order to grow, someone younger probably requires more nutrients and nourishment, right? Maybe that's why.

[If it wants to be fed, you should feed it, shouldn't you?? This is clearly why she's not the actual parent here.]

[deem]

Yeah, I see your point. I mean, we don't have to worry about things like that, but humans and the locals here would have different needs.

[It's strange to think about, since they're from a time and place where there's little need to consider those realities. Being among these people though, those simple notions rise to relevance]

[apatheia]

[nodding] It's different than what we're used to, but we need to educate ourselves about it as much as possible.

[Not that she doesn't think the humans here can't feed themselves, but what if they need help and it's something they'd never even heard of, information that was lost to time back in their world? She doesn't want to be caught unaware like that.]

[deem]

Right. Kind of weird, isn't it? Being the only androids, I mean.

[They'd lived in a world where mankind was a distant dream, and now...

Now they're an extreme minority and the needs they're accustomed to simply don't apply]

I've picked up the language, so the library should be helpful where the Palai are concerned.