nysalogs | [open mingle] from my laboratory in the castle east

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[open mingle] from my laboratory in the castle east

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm glad you think so~ [Look, it's still technically not just taking the compliment if he says it's the other person's opinion, right? He's pretty sure that's how that works.

At the question, Ren lets out a somewhat exaggerated hum, swaying somewhat absently back and forth in time with the music. There's definitely no denying his interest has sharpened somewhat since finding out who the person he's dancing with is, and he makes no real attempt to hide it even if he's still keeping his cuter mannerisms.]

Mmm, it's definitely fascinating...and you seem like a pretty fun person, too. But I think I'll really know what it's like whenever I have the chance to see you on the battlefield.

[He holds his hands curled against his chin in a surprisingly cutesy and dreamlike motion for a remark like that, especially considering his tone is decidedly...distracted by that thought.]

You have unique interests my friend!

[Oddly it doesn't sound like he's bothered by this. Instead he seems almost...delighted? Yeah that's probably the word for it. There's not much of a reason for him to be worried about this as far as he's concerned. So someone has an interest in the fact that he's a conqueror and interested in how he would be on the battlefield. What's wrong with that honestly?]

I hope you will like what you see when the time comes. Though, I don't see why you wouldn't. I am magnificent!

[And not even a little bit humble.]

[That is certainly one way to describe Ren's interests, and he laughs a little at the comment, not seeming particularly bothered himself. Nor by the lack of humility, because honestly, there's no fun being completely humble if you have the strength to back it up anyway.]

Oh, you're building it up even more now~ [His tone is gradually deepening as he speaks, going from cutesy to something that might be better described as breathy and a little bit dark.] I'll have to really hope I'm not disappointed when it happens, then, with all that confidence.

[There's a fine line with confidence - it's fun if you can back it up, and boring if you can't, as far as Ren's concerned. Iskandar strikes him as the type who would be able to in the first place, though, even if he didn't already know who he was.]

Ah but with confidence you know that you will not be disappointed. It is in cockiness that you find disappointment. For those are the people that don't know their limits or do and ignore them.

[And being cocky is dangerous for all that are involved. Iskandar has seen many fall simply because they thought they could take on the world without anything to back it up. A tragic fate but also one that is rather expected if he's to be honest.]

So I feel that you will enjoy what you see when it comes to be revealed.

[Oh, he likes that attitude. His amused smile tweaks up a little bit more at it, and he inclines his head as if conceding to the point.]

You know, I think you're right about that...but I guess I can't keep lingering on it, otherwise I'm going to get impatient. [So he holds a finger to his mouth briefly, as if to indicate he'll save the topic for now, before he lets his expression fall back to the more absently cutesy one from earlier.]

I'm really glad you asked for this dance now, though. [His tone has heightened back up to airy again to fit with his current look.]

I am glad to have asked. It seems I've made a fascinating new friend.

[He knows that he'll be eager to get to know him better. Already he likes him a great deal and has adopted him into that harem of friendship he has. Which is basically where most people end up until they prove they don't belong there actually.]

Tell me, what are some of the things you enjoy doing in this place? Things you like to do for fun?

[Ren offers a slight smile at being described as "fascinating" - the feeling is mutual, he supposes, though he's met quite a number of interesting people in the short time he's been here.

The short time does mean his expression crinkles a bit in thought at the question posed, since it's not one he's had much chance to think about yet.] Well, I haven't been awake here for very long...I've mostly been meeting new people and going to gathering kinds of places. Oh, and I guess I've been trying to read a little about this place as well even if it's a little bit dry. But for things I like doing for fun, I've always really liked games even if I haven't had much of a chance to play with people here.

[His tone is cutesy, but that particular phrasing makes it somewhat hard to tell what sense of "playing with" people he means, whether it's the literal game or toying with someone.] What about you?

I'll play with you.

[Seriously. He's just going to cover that right now. If he's having a hard time finding people to play with then he'll volunteer himself. After all, he adores all sorts of games and even it means learning a new one then he's quite read to be signed up for that.]

I've really just awoken those this place honestly. So I'm still discovering what there is to offer. Which means that if you like games I would be glad to play them with you.

Oh, that's nice of you. [Ren claps his hands together to one side of his face in a rather childish mannerism.] I won't be able to play my favourite game here, but I'll definitely have to find a deck of playing cards sometime, I promised to teach one or two other people how to play poker...and that's definitely the kind of game where you don't want the same opponent all the time.

[If you learn to read someone's tells, then it's going to be boring playing against them. Ren's unnaturally good intuition and skill with reading deck contents and probabilities doesn't just hold to the main card game he plays.]

I saw something about that game once. I think that it could be fun to play against the same opponent all the time if you think about it. Then both of you have to learn how to hide your tells. The little things that give you away. If you can learn to fool the person who has watched you the closest you'll stand a better chance of fooling those who won't think to.

[It makes sense to him anyway. But he's always loved the idea of a challenge. So learning to hide his tells sounds like a great time.]

[Well, he's not wrong, but the remark makes Ren laugh a little and give a smile that's almost wistful.]

That takes a pretty rare kind of opponent, though. Most people who play it aren't a little bit as good as they think they are...it's a shame, because I'd certainly enjoy it more if more people were like that about it...

[Granted, it can be fun stomping people who think they're good for a little while, but it does get boring pretty quickly.]

Then I will be like that for you! I can practice learning to hide what I can reveal. Trickery may not be my strongest skill but it is one that can be useful. To better myself at it will be beneficial.

[And of course he winks.]

And practicing with a beautiful young man would be a pleasure.

[Ren's smile widens the slightest bit into something more amused.] You're really full of compliments, aren't you~?

[At least Ren's stopped pretending he's not at least in part accepting the compliment. A moment later, though, his eyes narrow slightly, creating an impression of interest that's a little more piercing and attentive.]

I guess I'll just have to be the judge of how good you are at it, then. Whenever we get the chance.

I like to compliment those that I feel are worthy of it. You are beautiful in my eyes. It would be foolish to deny that I feel attracted to you.

[Plus he's very honest and has little in the way of a filter. If he likes what he sees then you can bet he's going to say as much. That includes to this young man here in his arms as he sways to the music.]

Whatever the case, I think we will have a good time together.

[Ren's used to being the forward one in any given conversation, so having it turned around like this makes him raise a hand to his mouth momentarily to try and politely conceal his amusement. Though the position he's in makes it a little bit harder to not be obvious about anything he's doing right now, really.]

Well, I'm honoured to have been considered worthy by someone like you~ [It's not a sentiment Ren expresses often, but then, it's not every day a historical conqueror decides you're attractive.] I think we'll have a good time as well. One way or another.

[It's not a questionable remark to make if they've already made quite a few suggestions on things to do during this conversation. Probably.]

Yes. Particularly as we get closer and I get to see more of the real you.

[Did he just call Ren out for not showing a lot of the real him right now? Yes. Yes he did. That cutesy act and all that is fun but he's eager to see more of the young man as a person rather than the image he shows to the rest of the world.

And he has no problem telling him he's very observant and able to read people well.]

It shall be a wonderful friendship.

[Ren doesn't seem fazed at all by being called out, his smile merely widening slightly into something more amused.] Hmm, I don't know what you mean by that at all...

[Arguably, this is also the "real" him, just exaggerated. Ren considers himself to have multiple faces that are just as real as each other, even if some are highly unlikely to court him any favour with anyone and thus tend to be set away until he knows them better.]

But I'd be glad to have a friend as interesting as you. [Even if it might take him a while to reach that level of trust, Ren does have a good idea of the type of people he'd like to have as friends, and Iskandar fits that quite well.]

If you think about it, everyone is interesting. Even those that are not have something fascinating to contribute to the world in the ways you least expect. It is why I like to have all be my friends unless they prove unworthy of that.

[And one has to do some really truly terrible things with no regret to get that kind of response from him. Iskandar is a very forgiving type of person even with the temper history knows him for. One doesn't really become so beloved without loving so greatly first. At least not in his experience.]

[That's an optimistic point of view, though it's not one Ren necessarily disagrees with, either.]

I guess that's one way of looking at it. Some people like to make themselves boring by acting like they're the only interesting people, though...

[Nothing bores Ren quicker than people who think they're more powerful or fascinating than they actually are. Boasting without basis is more likely to get him yawning in someone's face than anything.]

Mm. I think that's less boring and more foolish in the all the wrong ways. Besides, those sorts tend to fall fast and hard so in the end there's really nothing to be bored by. For me anyway.

[He's seen those types be the cause of their own demise more often than not. Why bother with being bored of them when they're sure to end themselves soon enough anyway? Far better to devote his attention elsewhere.]

Hmm, I guess if they crash and burn hard enough... [Ren still sounds a little doubtful, though. His main exposure to those kinds of people are "take over the world" sorts, and specifically the ones that like to waste a lot of time monologuing and inconveniencing him in various ways before they get taken down.]

But it's probably not really important right now. I haven't seen anyone like that here yet.

Well if they arrive then I'm sure we can easily handle the situation.

[He laughs and shifts Ren up higher. Not because he's heavy but because it puts them more at eye level. And he wants to make sure that he can have a good view of that pretty face.]

Until then we have time for some fun instead.

[Ren makes a very mild (and possibly feigned) noise of surprise when he's lifted up higher, though the remark that follows it has another smile playing around his mouth. His pupils, already slitted similarly to those of a cat, narrow that little bit more with the nearer focus of being in this position.]

Oh, definitely. It wouldn't really be worth being here at all if I wasn't planning to have as much fun as I can~

[He says that in a bright enough tone, but the manner of amusement in the smile doesn't quite match it. There's probably all sorts of fun at hand in this world.]

[Some might be thrown by that smile but it seems that Iskandar isn't going to be. Instead he laughs as he cocks his head to the side, grinning brightly. Is there anything that can dim these spirits? We just don't know.]

Tell me about the kinds of fun you enjoy. I want to know all about you.

[That makes Ren laugh, and he raises a finger to his lips with a slight tilt to his amused smile.]

Well, I know I find it more fun to leave people guessing a little. I like people to work a little bit to learn more about me, you know? So they earn it.

[That and he tends to be wildly dishonest about himself if they don't earn it, which doesn't really help anyone except him.]

[open mingle] from my laboratory in the castle east

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