[open mingle] from my laboratory in the castle east

[gekkajuu]

Who: EVERYONE!
What: Diva's! Birthday! Masquerade!!
When: August 4
Where: the Nadril caves
Warning(s): This is a mingle, so please indicate if your starter isn't OTA. Also: please put any necessary warnings in your subject lines when things pop up!

Atsushi has been planning this for a while now, but needless to say, a certain dragon forced him to adapt his plans, and arguably not for the better. Still, he's determined to make this work! Diva told him she's never had a birthday party in all of her long life, and that is just not all right - so of course he promised her she'd have one this year.

He... should have maybe not said anything, and just done this in secret. Or at least he should have known better than to ask Diva what kind of party she wanted, because she sure had a lot of wishes... That's Diva for you, though. Besides, after more than 170 years without a birthday party, she deserves to say exactly what she wants!

Atsushi has spent more time than he probably should have, decorating a part of Nadril's cave system with fairy lights and anything else he could find. For being in a cave, the setting is very atmospheric! There's food, drinks, and recorded music - not all of it suited for a party, but there are instruments too, for the more talented guests.

A masquerade was Diva's first and foremost wish, and with everyone having limited means and fewer possessions here, masks have kindly been provided by your hosts at the entrance. Some are classy; some are a little unusual; some are -....... Well, you should probably be at the party in time, so all the good masks haven't been taken yet. How well have you disguised yourself? Did you bother to hide your identity at all?

A gift for the birthday vamp is appreciated, but your presence is the biggest gift. There's no better time than the present to forget the unresolved situation elsewhere on the planet, and have a little fun together!

Comments

[fabrications]

The one and only.

[ It hasn't occurred to Akechi that Diva might find his scent distinctive, so he just assumes it's due to his voice - until the shock of having someone reach for his face overrides the thought. Even that only lasts a moment, however, and he doesn't resist if Diva decides to remove it outright. ]

I wish I could take credit for it, but that was provided by the hosts. Still, it appealed to me more than any of the others that were provided.

[colorature]

_{[Her fingers never make contact - he may not think his shock shows much but she picks up on it enough that her fingers pause mid air before being returned to her sides.]}

It suits you.

_{[Does it? At least she doesn't seem too displeased about not feeling up his face so to speak.]}

I'm glad you came.

[fabrications]

I thought so myself!

[ His nickname is 'Crow', after all - though he stops short of actually saying that. As for his attendance. ]

I'm honored to have been invited - and I promised to help out, didn't I? [ And speaking of, he gestures to the record she was fighting with a moment ago. ] Is that what you were hoping to listen to first?

[colorature]

_{[Caw Caw.]}

You see it as a honour?

<sub>[Well tickle her pink. She's flattered. Good answer - and he did promise to help out. She hands him over the record without delay. It's pretty shiny for a record...in fact it looks like it was made from gold.

Weird.]</sub>

Yeah, it's this one. It stood out to me so...maybe there's something good on it?

[fabrications]

Of course. We've only recently met, after all.

[ It's nice to know he made a decent impression, after all.

But onto the record. It's...really fucking flashy, and something about it seems a little familiar to Akechi. He can't tell what (he's not not a tremendous nerd about space, unlike some people he's met) so after a moment of curious hesitation he places it on the record player and sets the stylus. The music kicks on after just a moment of silence and Akechi lights up again. ]

Ah, I recognize this! It's something else from my world.

[colorature]

You do?

_{[That gets he to perk up excitedly, her hands clasping together at the sudden knowledge that she's not the only one to recognize the song that fills the cave.]}

So do I! That's amazing, Akechi! So many people here have never heard of Bach before and yet you have...

_{[So he's clearly better, is what she's saying.]}

[fabrications]

[ Look at that, he made his vampire friend(ly acquaintance) happy! Score. ]

It's a fairly well-known composition. Though... I confess, I couldn't have told you the composer's name off the top of my head like that.

[colorature]

People really don't know their composers, huh...

_{[Well, she'll soak up this moment and feel smart for it.]}

Ryuji had asked me what composers I like and he hadn't really heard of any of them I don't think. If there's one thing I've always liked about humans it was their music.

[fabrications]

[ Well, that name wipes the smile off Akechi's face. He looks startled to hear her mention his name so casually, though he's not really sure why it's such a shock. Probably because he's been trying so hard to not think about them.

He smiles a moment later, however, and elects to ignore it for the moment. She'll probably notice, but... ]

I can attach some names to some songs, but I'm afraid I'm far from an expert.

Which ones did you say liked best?

[colorature]

_{[Oh she notices the drop of his smile when she mentions Ryuji. Maybe they had bad blood between them? Who knows? It's not her place to ask...but that doesn't mean she won't try and be nosy later.]}

My favourites? Well, it's hard to not love the greats. Mozart, Handel, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Bach...Hayden and Debussy...Tchaikovsky...they're all incredible. There are so many more too it's really hard to choose!

_{[Surely he's heard at least one of the composers listed.]}

[fabrications]

[ Diva's in luck; Akechi's expression shows no surprise or confusion as she speaks, and once she's done... ]

I can only recognize songs from a few of them - Mozart and Beethoven, mostly - but I've at least heard of all of them. [ And since he's trying to make himself some 'friends' here... ] Maybe you could introduce me to some of the others' work sometime.

[colorature]

_{[That gets an excited clap out of her. There's no blank, confused look she's getting. Looks like their social link is leveling up.]}

Sure! I can do that. I'd love to.

_{[Ah, she's excited now, practically vibrating.]}

What sort of music do you usually listen to?