OPEN LOG: A beach party.

[bouchonne]

WHO: Everyone.
WHAT: A beach party.
WHEN: On a very hot day. At some point during the month.
WHERE: A beach just outside of Kirkwall.
NOTES: It is a beach party.

During a particularly hot and oppressive week in Kingsway, the Diplomacy division announces it will be diverting some of its funds to organize a party on a nearby beach. Kirkwallers are invited as well - a relationship-building sort of effort - but the party is mostly intended for morale boosting for Riftwatch itself.

The party features the following:

• Transportation to this lovely beach from the Gallows and from Kirkwall.


• Sunbathing and swimming in skimpy (or non-skimpy, if you're a fuckin square) bathing suits.


• Live music and dancing.


• Delectable grilled meats (and some vegetables, if you're a fuckin square).


• Rum drinks served in hollowed-out fruits.


• A sandcastle-building competition.


• A swim race.


• A few fun little sailboats bobbing around out on the water.

Does all that sound too wholesome? Great! There's also a cave system in the cliffs next to the beach. These little grottos are full of nooks and crannies and are perfect for a bit of sinful action after dark; in one cavern, there'll be some gambling games where some of Kirkwall's citizens are losing money; in another, you're likely to run into people making out.

Have fun! Soak up sun! Don't get in trouble! Or do, whatever, it's a beach party.

Comments

[altusimperius]

Is this the sort of party you warned me about?

I'd rather like to see one.

[bouchonne]

Oh, no. No, this is tame.

[altusimperius]

That's good. Otherwise, I'd wonder what I'd been missing.

[He sips from his drink.]

It's been good, though. Spirits have been high.

[bouchonne]

It's helped by how many spirits have been consumed.

[ He taps on his own drink. ]

[altusimperius]

So it is.

[He lapses into silence for a while, breaking it only to stifle a yawn against the back of his hand.]

Have you gotten what you wanted out of it?

[bouchonne]

Why, dear Benedict, I wanted nothing more than joy, of course.

[altusimperius]

Theirs or yours?

...or both, I suppose.

[bouchonne]

Always theirs. I'm an incredibly selfless man. That's all I crave.

[altusimperius]

Ah, yes. That much is always clear.

[bouchonne]

My sacrifices are plentiful and noble. That's what you say about me when people ask you, what's Byerly like, right?

[altusimperius]

I would if anyone ever didn't already know what you're like.

[bouchonne]

Are my misdeeds so notorious?

[altusimperius]

Isn't that how you prefer it?

[bouchonne]

Of course not. I'm persecuted and treated cruelly.

[altusimperius]

By whom?

[bouchonne]

Everyone, of course. Don't you think it hurts to be treated like a villain?

[altusimperius]

Well.

...yes.

[That strikes a cord.]

It does, but... isn't the solution to treat other people better?

[bouchonne]

I have treated you wickedly, eh?

[altusimperius]

[A scoff and an eyeroll-- he's not taking the bait.]

I mean, not constantly trying to catch people out in everything they say. Misunderstanding them on purpose.

[Kind of like you're doing now, the unspoken subtext.]

[bouchonne]

Ah. Is that an evil thing to do, dear fellow?

[altusimperius]

Not evil, but not kind. You know it makes them feel small and stupid.

[He twists his lips and looks into his drink.]

...I know, I haven't had much room to talk.

[bouchonne]

Oh no? Have you been endeavoring to make people feel small and stupid?

[altusimperius]

Yes. Actually.

[bouchonne]

Oh dear.

[ A sip of his drink. ]

Do tell.

[altusimperius]

Not recently, I don't think-- I'm trying not to. But.

[He shrugs a shoulder, sipping thoughtfully from his drink.]

It's just how people talk to each other, where I come from; if you want to be taken seriously you have to win every conversation, be the cleverest person in the room, and tearing down everyone around you to get there is fair game.

[Resting his head back against the wall, he swirls his drink around.]

I didn't even realize how exhausting it was until... well, until I didn't have to do it anymore.