[ open: all arise! ]

[vorbratta]

WHO: you. yes, you there. you're invited
WHAT: Sonia is throwing a big party, because everyone needs an excuse to get good and drunk together right now. And dancing. There is always dancing.
WHEN: Justinian, shortly after the return of the jungle crew
WHERE: The suite at the top of the mage tower
NOTES: ♫ have some party jams ♫

The month in the jungle was a long one, made longer by the total lack of any alcohol to mitigate the experience. Utterly unthinkable. Sonia is addressing a public need by throwing a grand party -- a public service, even. Besides, it's what she does. When was the last time she got to plan a party, anyway? Granted, this is not a Denerim soiree for the young nobility, but the venue doesn't matter. Only the people and the drinks, and Sonia is assuredly rich in both. It is also a fantastic excuse not to think about any of the bad things that have happened since she was last in Kirkwall.

The decoration in the residential suite at the top of the mage tower would be best classified as improvisational -- one of those drapes tacked along the wall for ambience may be a bedsheet -- but it's the spirit of the thing that counts. One makes do with what one has. In one corner are a few tables laden with spirits, some provided by Sonia, others by generous partygoers. There are a few Barra vineyard vintages in the mix, highlights of her personal collection, a testament to the celebration she considers tonight to be. There's a small selection of food nearby, mostly for snacking to go with the drinks, though guests are free to bring whatever they like to share.

And there is, of course, music. Someone here has brought a fiddle or a flute or a bunch of pots masquerading as a drum set. Maybe you've brought your very own a capella choir. Whatever the accompaniment, there's something to dance to. Sonia makes sure there is dancing.

Tonight is not for licking wounds or swapping grisly stories of terror and survival. Tonight is for feeling alive, getting properly and delightfully drunk, and having a good god damn time.

Comments

[sulahnan]

"I mean. Probably?" She nudges the glass she stopped with her foot back onto the table and promptly tumbles to the floor, balance shot. From there, she shrugs.

[windyvoice]

"Huh." So yeah, she is absolutely going to toss the glass in the air now. A nice high arch to give Athessa time, cus like she's not a bitch.

[sulahnan]

With a hup and a sloppy forward-roll, Athessa manages to get mostly to a crouch before the glass reaches its apex, then manages to catch it upside-down...on her forehead.

Is she wobbling to balance it, or to balance herself? Who knows. Without moving her head, she looks sidelong at Jenny and wheezes a laugh, giving two thumbs up.

[windyvoice]

"Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh shit!" Jenny Lou is shouting and jumping, but like this is a totally shout and jump worthy event. "The fucking skills! Dude, you're drunk hand eye shit is like so good, what the fuck!"

[sulahnan]

She snorts. Like, really, and let's the glass fall from her head into her hand so she can give a bow.

"You should see me when I'm stoned, hehe-aw." She just tried to drink from the empty glass.

[windyvoice]

"See I keep hearing about shit like that and I keep forgetting to ask," Jenny Lou says, once again magnanimous when she passes her half finished drink to Athessa, "What the fuck do y'all even smoke here?"

[sulahnan]

"Oh! This--" She doesn't take the drink, instead patting herself down as if her half-smoked joint isn't firmly tucked behind her ear. After checking each pocket twice, she looks at her reflection in the empty glass, sets it on the table, and holds up that joint.

"Elfroot. Tony said where he's from they smoke somethin' similar, called it weed. S'at kinda what you got back home?"

[windyvoice]

Jenny Lou snaps and points, "Hell yeah. It's Buckweed tho, cus this one old ass Halfling family has like a monopoly on it. God tier gardeners. It's ass expensive though, so most of us commoners just smoke like Kreteks. They're like...spicy."

[sulahnan]

"Spicy? Like...in a good way? I dunno if we have anything to smoke that's spicy. But I also don't smoke anything else, sooo..." She shrugs and looks around, spotting a window left conveniently open on the far side of the room. Juts a thumb that-a-way.

"You wanna try it? Pretty much just tastes like grass but in your nose. I don't think anyone's bothered to farm it in such a way that folks go gaga over, so mostly it's like...I dunno. Either you get it reg'lar priced at the 'pothecary or ya go out and pick it yourself. Most folks use it for medicine. Potions, poultices, topical shit. Chewing on it for toothaches and whatever."

[windyvoice]

"Yeah, kinda like how shit smells after it rains, right? Only it's smoke and it mellows you out a little." Not a whole lot and yeah, she's been dying a little for a smoke and a drink since she got here. One goal down and since Athessa's offering.

"Hell yeah. So like does that mean you all the medicine you take here also gets you high or what?"

[sulahnan]

Athessa hums, thoughtful.

"I dunno, not really but kinda? Elfroot only gets you proper faded if you smoke it. I mixed some of it with embrium before, I think, made it a little different, but I don't think embrium on its own does much of anything when ya smoke it," As she talks, she finds a fire source--a brazier, a torch, a candle, whatever's closest that isn't a mage--and lights the joint by rolling it through the flames. Nice even burn, no lopsided cherry here. "I wonder if anyone's tried smokin' witherstalk."

[windyvoice]

"I dunno what witherstalk does, but it sounds like it'd fuck you up." It's maybe the alcohol that's got Jenny Lou mooning a little over how pro Athessa is at that. Only a little though, so it's fine. "Like the bad kind of fuck you up."

[sulahnan]

"You don't fuck men, right? So you won't have to worry about using witherstalk anyway," she takes a puff before passing it to Jenny Lou and leans against the wall oh so coolly. "Just keeps ya from getting knocked up."

[windyvoice]

"Oh yeah?" She takes a puff, mimicking Athessa a little (who is deeply cool), but scrunches her nose a little on the exhale, "Woah... Okay I shoulda figured it taste different, but like..." It tastes different than the Kreteks she used to sneak.

Like duh. She passes it back, "Anyway, I dunno if birthcontrol is something you should smoke, that sounds crazy weird."

[sulahnan]

Athessa laughs and nods. "Yeah, it's like taking a nose-dive into the dirt at the base of a tree, right? It grows on ya. Or...well, it grew on me, can't really speak to what'll happen for you. And like if you smoke that...whateverweed back in your world, you'll probably already know what to expect from it," And all that that entails. When Laura wanted to try smoking, she pretty much had a panic attack straightaway. With luck, Jenny Lou won't have to deal with that particular side effect.

"For me it starts like, right here, all tingly and weird, and then it sinks down n' makes my limbs heavy for a lil' bit." When she says right here she taps her fingertips against Jenny Lou's cheeks, back towards her jaw, in light little drumming motions. Barely touching enough to be felt, but close enough that the motion itself can be sensed.

[windyvoice]

Okay. See. She was paying attention. Like she totally was. But then Athessa is touching her and it's weird because it's not a real touch and also it's her face, but also kinda nice.

No idea what the fuck to do about that, so she wrinkles her nose again and bats Athessa's hands away. "Sounds like buckweed, yeah. Wonder if it's some weird like crossover thing. Like does every world just have a plant that gets you faded?"

[sulahnan]

"You call it faded, too? Or wait, did I already say faded myself. I can't remember. But yeah! Seems like, so far anyway. I haven't asked every rifter, but. Two outta however-many is a start."

Athessa leans back and almost misses the window ledge, but recovers quickly, blowing smoke out the window and passing the joint back.

"Maybe we should do one of them book surveys, like Wysteria does every now'n then."

[windyvoice]

She does startle a little when Athessa seems like she's about to face plant off the window, but settles. Anxiety is a sharp little zing that's smothered under smoke in her lungs.

"Fuck yeah we should. Why have an all access pass to our coworkers if we don't exploit that shit for research or whatever?"

[sulahnan]

"I mean exploit is kind of a strong word but yeah. Research or whatever," she nods, digging the idea. "My handwriting is trash, how's yours?"

[windyvoice]

"It's pretty good," she says, giving a double thumbs up, "Chicks dig cute handwriting."

[sulahnan]

Well if it's picking up chicks at stake--

"But what better excuse for hand-holding than asking for help with penmanship, eh?"

WINK.

[windyvoice]

The look Jenny Lou gives her suggest Athessa has just unlocked the greatest unsolved mystery.

"Oh shit, that's so slick."

[sulahnan]

She's clearly proud of that, and beams, and reminisces without realizing.

"It's pretty good, right? But I can't even compare to how slick Derrica is," Athessa looks over the party, thinking back to another time. "She's got that healing magic so she literally kissed my bruises better back when Eshal was here and ran a fight club."

Another lungful of smoke gives her something to do to keep from looking too bummed about that memory. It works, and by the time she breathes it out through the window, she can put on a smirk and scoff lightly. "Mages, right?"

[windyvoice]

"She's got that magic touch, yeah?" Just the biggest grin. "Gods, Derrica is so freakin' pretty though, dude. Like I'd fuckin' die if she did that." And then VERY belatedly, "Uh, are you guys going out?"

[sulahnan]

"Out where?"