faderift | OPEN LOG: A beach party.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ An arched eyebrow. Well said. ]

And how do you define it? Self-control.

[ This feels like a test. Jenny Lou makes a face. ]

I dunno... Not... Doing things impulsively?

Hmmmm.

[ He has opinions on that, but, well - this is the beach. Maybe it's not the time. ]

What's hmmm.

A noise of acknowledgment. A thoughtful hum. The beginning of a song. Take your pick.

The song, but you gotta sing it.

As you wish. What shall the song be about?

[ Jenny Lou lifts Whiskey, waving her paws a little. ]

You know one about a dog?

I'm Fereldan.

Soooo yes?

[ Girl.

In a fine, rich baritone, he launches into Andraste's Mabari. He sings it all the way through - and does it with charming hamminess, lowering his voice at the dramatic parts, ensuring that the chorus is rousing and boisterous. ]

[ She applauds him when he's done, whistles included. ]

Oh, don't encourage me.

[ He flutters his hands in thanks. ]

I'll keep singing as long as there's applause.

Shut up, you know you're good at it.

[ She nudges him playfully. ]

I liked that. How many songs does Fereldan have about dogs?

Loads. We're known as dog-lords, you know.

I thought that was just like a weird insult.

On the contrary. It's a very well-founded insult.

[ A shrug. ]

Years ago, the mages of Tevinter bred dogs - mabari - with uncommon intelligence, and they brought them south to get the rough and rowdy barbarians down there to submit to their rule. Well, it turned out that the dogs happened to like the rough and rowdy barbarians, and largely defected to fight for them. Ever since then, mabari - and all dogs, frankly - have been a symbol of Ferelden, and also of the general Southern principle of go fuck yourself.

Dude, you got the dogs to defect to your side? Fucking brutal, no wonder you got attitude.

Mm.

[ There's a perverse sort of pride in his voice when he says: ]

They're possessed of the meanest, poorest piece of land in all of Thedas - hardened and half-frozen. And yet there's no one who can take it from them. The Orlesians tried, once - occupied Ferelden for decades, trying to civilize the barbarians - and the bloodshed was immense.

[ She grins, absolutely encouraging that. ]

Sounds like the kind of story my mom used to tell me when I was little. I was waaaaaaay into the whole scrappy underdog beating the impossible odds shit.

Then read up on your Fereldan history. They are, quite literally, the under-dogs.

[ She scrunches up her face. ]

Urgh, history books... Do they make them like not assy and boring in this world?

Oh, I don't know. I can't read.

[ Said in the breezy tone of a total liar. ]

That is literally the worst lie you've ever told.

What about that time I claimed not to be handsome?

(no subject)

windyvoice - 2020-09-30 03:36 (UTC) - Expand