[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]

Her...what?

[There is no diplomatic response to this, only obvious confusion.

9S has no idea how he should interpret that, but Milla's important to Jude, right? Surely it can't be something bad]

That's a unique interest.

[There is a diplomatic response after all]

[talim]

I guess Great Spirits are just fascinated with all things related to the human realm. Needing food, needing sleep... Milla used to eat so much, I don't know where she put it all. She never needed it to sustain herself prior to losing her spirit powers, but afterward...

The first meal she ever had... she fell asleep face first in the bowl while Alvin and I were right there.

[ ah. memories. jude looks so ridiculously fond. here he was, asking about 9s and 2b, but somehow the topic shifted... he'll apologize later. ]

As for what I said in particular? Uh, well, she was really excited when she caught a cold this one time. Something about mucus and the human body being a truly cumbersome thing.

Milla's an odd one.

[deem]

I guess I can understand being interested in new data...

[Although 9S can't say he's particularly curious about mucus, of all the things he's itching to learn about mankind. That's something he thinks is just as well left in Milla's capable hands.

He wonders, from what Jude says of her, what meeting such a person must be like. More to the point, being around them]

My interest in studying machine life-forms was considered strange too though.

[At best, highly discouraged and against regulations at worst. But there was something that piqued his interest about their attack patterns and how they engaged in combat. The details, especially, could hold his focus for hours]

[talim]

It doesn't sound all that strange to me.

[ a small tilt of the head. ]

I asked 2B a little about it. About the differences between androids and machines.

[deem]

[He wonders what she might've said. At the same time, he's hesitant to ask.

What he knows he's far too uncomfortable with]

She knows just as well as anybody would. [Perhaps not entirely accurate, anymore, but he sounds like he believes it] But Scanners aren't really supposed to take interest in the things I did. I should put it that way.

[talim]

Is there a reason why? What is it that dictates what you can and can't be interested in?

[ a genuine question. it can't just be his programming, can it? ]

[deem]

There're regulations specific to YoRHa units.

[More than a few he anticipates Jude would not agree with. Even if that organization no longer exists, the awareness of what he is and what's expected of him remains]

Those'd come from Command, and they can vary by unit type and model.

[talim]

I just...

[ his buzz is starting to fade little by little. ]

I don't know. Just imagining being told what I can and can't be interested in...

[ a deep frown curves his lips, brows knit and eyes downcast. ]

Personally? I'd hate that more than anything.

[deem]

I wasn't very good about adhering to some of it.

[Said with a wry twist of his lips, because of course he was cognizant of it all along. He simply pretended it wasn't the case]

Everyone has rules though, right?

[Like those machines in the desert with countless, unending, and often ridiculous ones. Somehow he's the king of them. Really ought to tell Jude that story someday...]

[talim]

[ that wry grin earns 9s a coy smile of his own. he should have given him more credit.

he's learned that 9s isn't the most conventional by now. ]

We humans have a saying: rules are meant to be broken.

[deem]

Still, I bet you've got a few you abide by.

[This subject is an easier one, if only because they're speaking of it on surface terms. His thoughts go far deeper than that, but for now, he'd sooner not chase Jude's smile off again.

Lighter is better, he thinks, as it always has been]

Or are you some lawless troublemaker after all?

[talim]

You caught me. I was just a hardened criminal all along. Sorry I misled you.

[ he says this with a dry expression, but his lips are quivering in an effort not to laugh. ]

[deem]

Not even my Scanner's intuition could see through your clever ruse... I was doomed all along.

[On the other hand 9S can say this with such grave intonation]

[talim]

I've been training for this day... To reveal my true self to you, Nines. Or should I say... YoRHa Unit 9S?

[ insert evil laugh here. ]

[deem]

[Alright, the laugh is too much. He's taking five to smother a chuckle behind his hand.

Not that he minds the sound, it's Jude's voice after all, but it seems so uncharacteristic of him as to be comical. Nevermind how impressive it is to train for something you never knew you'd encounter]

[talim]

[ look, jude is just a natural. maybe he was the villain all along. too supportive, too trusting... villainous stuff right there.

9s has him collapsing into a real laugh though, bumping shoulders with him as they laugh together like... well. like the friends that they are. like boys. ]

[deem]

[A pair of killer actors right here, these two.

It takes him a little while to recover from that, if only because Jude laughing along with him is infectious in the most curious way. Is that how these things are?]

...I like this laugh better than the other one.

[Said behind his hand as he composes himself. Not that the weird laugh doesn't have its merits]

can they tone down the bromo for like two seconds

[talim]

[ if 9s were to ask, jude would tell him that it is. it absolutely is. ]

I think I prefer it, too.

But I like your laugh the most.

all signs point to probably not...

[deem]

[9S having failed to put his goggles back on just yet means Jude gets to see his bewildered stare when it comes, color warming his pale features]

Wh—mine? [He sounds a touch startled, but then, comments on personal qualities always catch him off-guard] ...We're gonna have to disagree on that one.

[talim]

Yep. Yours.

[ jude's smile is positively radiant. ]

Then we'll agree to disagree.

[deem]

[You win this round, Jude Mathis. That smile is terribly mollifying]

Looks that way...but I guess that's alright.

[talim]

Acceptable answer.

[ jude gently claps him on the shoulder. ]

[deem]

So you do have rules after all, I see.

[Well, naturally he doesn't mind that either]

[talim]

Just a few.

[ a cheeky little smile. see icon. ]

[deem]

I'll remind you if you ever go rogue.

[And he'll smile right back]