[ 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

[cozen]

Nathalie, Aousten, Luis, and Élodie.

[ Those weren’t their names. But he lists them off easily, without hesitation. ]

What sort of toys did you have? Were they the same? Am I asking too many questions?

[sulahnan]

[ Knowing her, the likelihood that she'll even remember those fake names is minimal, especially while she's processing three questions at once. ]

I do get the feeling like you're trying to uncover some kind of secret, but otherwise I don't mind. Most of the toys were stuff like carved halla or little dolls. Rattles, sometimes.

[cozen]

[ He makes another aw sound, shorter this time, then shakes his head a little. ]

Everything I heard about the Dalish as a boy was—you know. Racist bullshit. I just like to know what it was really like. The correct details for imagining how adorable you must have been.

[sulahnan]

Oh, at least as adorable as I am now, but about...this tall, always missing a tooth, and smudged with dirt.

[ She leans against the wall beside him and scans the ceiling for what she might tell him. ]

It was a lot like camping, I guess? Like our stay in the jungle but with fewer constant threats. Or maybe the same number of threats but more familiar. Sometimes we'd stay in one place for a long while, other times we'd only settle down for a day or two to trade with locals.

[ Shrug. ]

Probably easier to debunk the racist stuff than to just run you through day-to-day life that I experienced eighteen-plus years ago.

[cozen]

Non, no, I know it is bullshit, and I do not want to repeat it. You have probably heard it all.

[ Cannibal savages. You know. ]

Were you afraid of humans?

[sulahnan]

[ Another shrug, both in response to him not wanting to repeat what he's heard, and to his question. ]

Mostly, yeah. Safer that way.

[ Especially as a child, it was better to assume ill will than to hope for civility. ]