get ready everybody 'cause here we go

[dashing]

WHO: Saoirse, Herian & open.
WHAT: a combined birthday hangout.
WHEN: 30th Haring.
WHERE: The Hanged Man.
NOTES: Drink up now and turn up hungover to the Firstday feast. Open invitation over here, no need to reply to the network post or even have prior cr in order to attend. Please add any warnings to subject lines if they come up.

"Party" would be an extreme word for it; the more accurate word would be "casual gathering of people with liquor readily available." It is The Hanged Man, though, so who knows what shenanigans could unfold.

They've taken over a corner of the inn, and though there isn't much in the way of decorations - making sure the place could be easily accessed after all that snow was work enough - there are a couple of strings of bunting.

Don't get too wild; it'd be unfortunate if Herian had to interrupt her own (shared) birthday celebration in the sake of preserving the Inquisition's reputation. (Or do get wild, and simply shrug it off as The Hanged Man's influence. Whatever.)

Be sure of one thing, though - at least one round is one Herian. Maybe. If you're a close friend, or look particularly glum.

Comments

She’d deserve it

[dashing]

Gently, Herian steers Saoirse to a slightly more secluded spot, taking her elbow - it’s not entirely different from how one might guide an elderly person who is less than steady on their feet, more done for effect than necessity, if this is the game they are playing. “Watch your step,” she advises, helpfully, before stopping.

“This is for you,” she starts, trying to map out her words as she speaks, and coming to a slightly uncomfortable pause. “I-- I have many regrets that we were apart for so long, after Starkhaven, and I know that I have been more withdrawn than I was before.” Words are so difficult, and she has to pause awkwardly to try and navigate where next to go. “You are my oldest friend, though, and I value your kinship more than I can properly say.”

So, here we are, parcel held out, with the Cloak of Visibility within. The cloak is light, the see-through material seeming to shimmer a little.

just imagining saoirse punching everything now

[sulena]

And much like the grandmother, she gently pats her dear rascal's hand as she is steered along by the elbow once more holding in the urge to laugh and somehow actually managing it despite how hilarious everything is.

Quietly, she listens as Herian speaks and remains so as the woman navigates through her words. Saoirse, to the surprise of no one, smiles but it is with much more warmth than she usually shows and with an undeniable fondness. "We're here together now," she says finally. "It is my only wish that you know how dearly you mean to me in this harsh world we live in. We have time now to make up for the time we lost before."

Carefully, she opens the parcel as it is passed over to her. Once she spots the cloak, she is speechless and stares upward at her friend with wide eyes. "Herian... it's beautiful."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAYL5H46QnQ& her new theme song

[dashing]

"I'm glad." She relaxes a little, shoulders less impossibly stiff, and and exhales a little bit. She wasn't holding her breath, not really, but she was feeling a little beyond her depth. With such emotional control as she has developed since the Spire fell comes a great cost to emotional expression. She knows she is not the same as she was when they were in the alienage, and in the Circle - but as Saoirse says, they have now. Much like for Cosima, for Saoirse Herian resolves herself to do better.

"When I was on a mission for the Inquisition, I aided a trader who was beset by bandits. He gave me this as thanks." A pause, and— "You should wear it when next we play hide and seek. To give me a fighting chance." The last she adds conspiratorially, as this may be the only time she ever admits just how bad she is at hiding.

beautiful

[sulena]

With a flick of her wrist, she pulls the cloak over her shoulder and clasps it in place. Saoirse laughs, spinning in place before reaching out to pull Herian into a hug. For a moment, she just holds the other woman in a tight embrace before releasing her with a tired laugh. No, she isn't crying... not yet.

"Sounds like a wonderful idea," she says laughing. "The next time I perform, I'll wear it too. I imagine the children in the alienage will love it too."

[dashing]

She’s not traditionally a hug person, or even much of a contact person. There’s some people she will make exceptions for, however, and Saoirse is undoubtedly one of them. She holds her friend, sister, very tight, and gently taps Saoirse jaw with her fingertips once she draws back a little.

“Maybe we should challenge them to a game of hide and seek,” Herian offers, though she’s not sure just how serious her offer is. She was really, really bad at hide and seek.