[ OPEN ]

[oathkeeper]

Who: OPEN TO ALL! The open invite was sent over BBS to everyone you can hand wave that you saw it. Come enjoy the hospitality of a god of light! Bring all your gods, goddesses, shinki and spirit animals.
What: Beach Barbecue! At some point there might be a need for some gods to help destroy a certain pesky giant fish ayakashi that has somehow wandered in and wants to destroy the temple...
When: The evening of April 2nd and the morning of April 3rd!
Where: Baldr’s Temple!
Warnings: TBA!





[ House Mingling ]

Laid out in the kitchen is a large variety of snacks and drinks for everyone to help themselves to. So sugar up and enjoy! There is also a collection of strange Japanese snacks that Sora thought were hilarious. He doesn’t promise any of it actually tastes any good though:

Weird Chips
Candy Squid
Weird Soda Pop
Every Burger Candy!
These Pepperfruits things
AHA BRAIN!!
Lychee Jellies that you will get addicted to
All the Mochi EVER
Wasabi Beans?

In addition, there is also a Nintendo Wii U with various games that are open to anyone to play. These games include but are not limited to Mario Kart 8, Mario Party 10, Guitar Hero Live, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Wii Sports and Zumba Fitness: World Party.

[ Beach Barbecue ]

Baldr’s temple sits on a shoreline with a dock floating into the ocean. The soft sand is warm during the day but when the sun sets it gets rather chilly. A bonfire has been started to keep the beach occupants warm and the cooking starts as soon as the sun sets. Everything from burgers to hotdogs are available for eats.

The water is very cold when the sun is gone so don’t be pushing people into the ocean unless you want people to get colds. (can gods and shinki get colds?) There also might be rumors of a giant purple fish ayakashi that gobbles people up is in the water, but who knows if that’s true?

Couches, hammocks and pillows are also available for beach time snuggles if you need the private space to chat.

Somewhere someone is setting off firecrackers and sparklers. Join in and set a few off but don’t set yourself on fire!

[ GIANT PURPLE FISH AYAKASHI ]

It's true.

Sometime later in the evening when everyone is out on the beach enjoying the weather and the cool night air, there is a soft rumbling that comes from somewhere over the ocean. The rumbling goes unnoticed at first maybe attributed to the dock creaking or the waves changing wind. But soon the rumbling gets stronger and stronger and the waves become violent, lapping dangerously at the shoreline.

Soon there is a loud screeching noise that erupts from somewhere over the waves. The water parts and a giant ayakashi breeches the surface and leaps effortlessly into the air. Ugly round eyes cover its body staring in all directions and surveying the beach. Then the fish falls back into the water causing a rippling of violent waves to crash against the beach.

It's silent for a moment.

Then the rumbling gets louder. The fish is getting closer. Fast.

[ Epic Blanket Fort Battle ]

Upstairs, a gigantic epic blanket fort has been set up. If you’ve brought your own blankets and pillows they’ve been added to the pile. Inside are tons of pillows and movies to watch. Cozy up with a friend or snuggle up and fall asleep.

Or better yet, challenge someone to a pillow fight and claim victory as a pillow warrior champion. Unearthly divine powers are permitted and encouraged. Shinki usage is also permitted granted you don’t break the house.

Whatever the case, pajamas are mandatory to enter.

[ Morning Waffles ]

If you haven’t passed out by now be ready for the biggest breakfast extravaganza of your afterlife.

There are waffles stacked up high with all the fixings such as fresh strawberries, nutella, whip cream, banana slices, jams, cinnamon sugar and chocolate chips.

There is also fresh fruit smoothies of every variety. Yum. That not your thing? There is also tea and hot chocolate.

Morning waffles is also open to anyone who didn’t want to come the night before for some reason and want to come for the deliciousness only. Because who doesn’t like waffles?

And contrary to popular belief, this is the only dish that Sora can cook well.

[ WILD CARD ??? ]

Dunno what you’re doing but Sora doesn’t care as long as you are cozy and have fun.

Just don’t steal anything. He's a trusting person, okay?

Comments

[Barbecue]

[doestheickyjobs]

[Axel'd disappeared briefly from the party when he spotted Roxas there cooking dinner. Why? Well, the plastic shopping back dangling from one of his hands on his way back might be a clue. It takes a few minutes to hunt down the spot where Roxas is sitting and watching the water by himself, but when he does, he grins cheerfully and plops down next to him.]

Hey there. Check it out!

[He hands over the plastic bag. Inside are two small cups of "Deep Sea Vanilla" ice cream. That's close enough, right? It's the closest thing Axel's found so far.]

I haven't tried it yet. I figured we could, you know, try eating it together, or...

[He trails off, scratching the back of his neck. He's working on this friendship thing. He's kind of not sure how to handle it.

Rescue him, please.]

[missingache]

[ Axel sitting down beside him makes Roxas jump. He'd been so focused on the water that everything else was effectively tuned out. Seeing his friend makes him smile before the bag is handed to him. Taking one out he starts smiling again before handing it over to Axel.]

Let's try it together!

[Are there spoons in the bag?]

[doestheickyjobs]

Great.

[Phew. Axel leans over to rummage in the bag, snagging one of the cups and getting the little flat wooden spoons that'd come with them unstuck from the plastic.

He hands one of the spoons over to Roxas.]

So what's this stuff like, anyway? Is it actually salty?

[missingache]

[Yay spoon! Roxas doesn't even reply until he opens the ice cream and tries it.

The look on his face is a very happy one!]

Salty and sweet at the same time! This is perfect...

[doestheickyjobs]

[Axel pries the cardboard lid off his own ice cream, scoops up a spoonful and sticks it in his mouth.

And immediately makes a face.]

Whoa. That's weird.

[Definitely an acquired taste, he thinks, dubiously scraping another spoonful up and savoring this one. He thinks he might like sweet-sweet ice cream better than salty-sweet.

Roxas seems happy, though, so it was worth the search. Axel slants a grin his way.]

[missingache]

[Roxas is trying hard not to laugh. That face... Okay, he can't hold it in. He's going to laugh for a bit before he has to catch his breath.]

I-It's not... that weird...!

[He nudges Axel's arm with his own.]

I used to eat this all the time before this place and Koriko. It's been a year... I'm glad you found it. [Though it makes him wonder...] Wait, were you looking for this for me?

[doestheickyjobs]

Well, yeah. You said you liked it.

[So why wouldn't he?

Axel sets his container down on his knee, smiling.]

Glad I tracked some down. Especially if it's been that long.

[missingache]

Thanks!

[This was a strange and sweet gesture. Strange in that Axel would try so hard when he doesn't even remember Roxas, and sweet in that this is what friends would do for each other. Does this mean Axel thinks of him as a friend? Only time will tell. Asking seems kind of rude right now.]

Koriko was a really old fashioned Japan. No computers, internet, cell phone... a lot of workers complained about those things not being there. I had no idea what the last two things were until I read a book. The communication thing we got is my first phone-computer device.

[He's figured out how to use it after getting frustrated enough to almost break it.]

[doestheickyjobs]

Yeah, I had no clue how to use that thing at first either. You sort of figure it out, though. You know, if you poke at it enough.

[Not that Axel spent a lot of time lying around on a bench outside Pippa's place trying to kill time when he first got here... but, okay, he totally did.]

I guess wherever I'm from we didn't have them either.

But it was still Japan? Like the Near Shore here, the same world name?

[missingache]

... do you know how to silence it?

[He needs to know. For reasons. Reasons named Sora.]

Yes and no. Koriko was in Japan, but it was also not in Japan because it's a magical island. We didn't even know what year it was there. Just that the calendar was the same in a lot of other worlds.

[doestheickyjobs]

Huh? Oh, yeah. Here. [Axel pulls his phone out, tilting the screen towards Roxas, and swipes down. There's his sound indicator. He taps it.]

It'll stay quiet until I do that again. -- It took me forever to figure out what I did the first time.

[He grins, and tries another spoonful of the ice cream to see if it's gotten any less weird-tasting. It kind of hasn't, but he can see how it'd grow on you.]

Weird. So, like, some kind of mirror of this world. I wonder if that's why you ended up here.

[missingache]

[Looks easy enough. There's another question that follows this.]

Can you silence messages just from one person? Or does it silence them all?

[Just because he's at times ignoring Sora, which he might regret later since Sora can get into his temple, doesn't mean Roxas wants to miss anyone else's messages.]

Hmm... I don't know. There's nothing here that looks anything like Koriko except some of the buildings.

[doestheickyjobs]

Well, sure, if it was long enough ago then it wouldn't look anything like that anymore. You said it was the old-timey version of Japan, right?

[He shrugs, and pokes at his phone again to turn the sound back on.]

I think it just turns off all the sounds, so if anybody tried to call you or send a message, no go.

[missingache]

Yeah, but it has electricity A lot of stuff is just old fashioned.

[Great. So the sound has to stay on.]

Maybe I can make him have a ringtone that's different from the others.

[doestheickyjobs]

Weird. I guess it's just a style thing, then.

... Who're you trying to avoid, Roxas?

[Axel eyes him dubiously.]

[missingache]

[Roxas is going to look away right now. And then he'll turns his head to stare straight at Axel with something like a "fight me" expression.]

Sora.

[doestheickyjobs]

What for? I thought you guys were friends.

[Sora sure acts like they're friends, but then, Sora has that kind of personality where he probably acts like he's everybody's friend unless they really tick him off. So maybe Roxas doesn't think they're that close.

But then why would Sora have gone to all that trouble to try to set Roxas up with new friends? It doesn't make sense, he thinks, and eyes Roxas dubiously.]

[missingache]

[Roxas busts up laughing, shaking his head.]

I'm kidding!

[No, he likes having Sora around. Sure, he was clingy, wanted to know everything about Roxas, and was probably looking for reasons for sleepovers... but Roxas couldn't hate him. Not anymore. Those days are gone, and he's pretty much accepted that one can't exist without the other. At least not yet. Here they at least have a chance for that.]

I just need him to stop texting me when he wakes up in the middle of the night...

[doestheickyjobs]

Oh. I get it.

[Axel cackles, too, leaning back comfortably and propping his elbows in the sand.]

Okay, so why not just turn the sound off at night? It's not like you want anybody to call you when you're asleep, right?

[As far as Axel's concerned, that kind of thing can always wait until morning.]

[missingache]

I- [Can't do that. Not yet.] -just like keeping it on in case Naminé needs someone to talk to at night.

[It's a lame excuse. It really is. Roxas isn't used to sleeping alone in a room, and even having a shinki in the house now is not helping. He can't tell anyone that. Not right now.]

She's new here, too, and she's my friend.

[doestheickyjobs]

But Sora can take care of himself, huh? Harsh, Roxas.

[Axel's tone is teasing. Didn't Sora and Namine both show up at the same time Roxas did? Or did Axel just not run into them before that? Nah, he thinks they were new.

He grins.]

[missingache]

[Roxas shrugs.]

He's stayed alive so far on his own.

[Sora's strong, but really. That kid should have been dead a while ago.]

[doestheickyjobs]

Oh yeah? Is that a surprise?

[The kid is a Keyblade wielder, after all. He's got to have plenty of survival skill going for him.]

[missingache]

Sometimes.

[From the memories he's got from Sora, and the other Sora he knew.... yeah. It's surprising.]

[doestheickyjobs]

So is he just not the most careful guy, or has he made some major enemies?

[Axel toes at the sand casually, and takes another bite of ice cream. It's starting to get a little melted, but the flavor's still okay.]