[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

[colorature]

<sub>[Ah. His expression and reaction is just as priceless as she thought it'd be. Too bad it's mostly hidden by his mask...

Either way, she's got a case of the giggles, setting the fork back down against the side of the plate she's holding.]</sub>

Thank you! _{[Who knew a simple kiss could be so potent?]} ...And thank you for going to the effort of all of this.

[gekkajuu]

[Some people's kisses are way too potent, okay?! Glompire kisses in particular are infamous for this. Probably.

At least Atsushi recovers pretty quickly. (The mask helps.)]

There's no need to thank me. You really deserved a birthday party after all this time.

[colorature]

<sub>[And lucky Atsushi seems to be the target of said potent kisses!

Whether she deserved it or not is beyond the point she's trying to make. For once she's trying to properly express her gratitude, actually aware of the effort people have gone to for her. It means a lot.]</sub>

Still...it's only right to.

[gekkajuu]

[Fair enough. He can't really argue with that, so he doesn't.]

Well, you're most welcome~!

Have you been having fun?

[colorature]

I have!

_{[There's certainly a sparkle in her eyes as she speaks, setting the cake aside to grab Atsushi's hands instead.]}

I've been to lavish parties before, fit for royalty, but they were never as fun as this is right now.

[gekkajuu]

[... Yes, yes of course she's been to better parties... It only bugs him a little because he'd really hoped to give her a much grander party than this, before fate intervened.

But! This is still her first birthday party, so!! It counts as special, even if it's kind of simple. Even he can't feel responsible for everyone ending up in creepy snowland.]

I'm glad.

Still, I hope we can be back in Olympia for whatever the next celebration may be.

[colorature]

Me too! I'm not really fond of cold weather.

_{[Sure, she had gotten used to it when she had lived in Russia, but that didn't mean she had been into it.]}

Hopefully we'll be back in time for Christmas.

[gekkajuu]

[Atsushi didn't mind cold weather as such - it was kind of cozy, dressing for it and finding quiet activities that let you stay warm - but he liked warm weather too, and... this place just wasn't Olympia. The people were nice enough, but they didn't feel all that open or even welcoming.]

I hope so, too! That's a lot of time to spend here, still.

What should we do for Christmas, when we get back?

[It's early, yes, but thinking about such things seems more fun than worrying about if they can ever go back.]

[colorature]

A tree and lots of presents! I want to decorate a tree with you!

_{[She can see it now, a deep green pine with tinsel, lights and a star on top. Beneath are numerous presents, all expertly wrapped, a decent amount of them with her name on them.]}

We should get stockings too for gifts and oh, drink hot chocolate by the fireplace!

[gekkajuu]

That's a great idea! There's plenty of room for a tree in the mansion!

[An improvement over last year, for sure! Presuming the mansion is even still standing, but... somehow, Atsushi doesn't doubt that. Besides, it can always be rebuilt.]

Hot chocolate~... [He may be drooling a little. It's so cold here, hot chocolate seems perfect. He doesn't want to wait until Christmas.] That would be so nice...