Book Party [ota]

[myblueskies]

Who: Romeo, Elfnein and literally everyone in the heavens. Even if you weren't personally invited every invite came with a +ALL YOUR FRIENDS and there's also a sign. Strangers are just friends these two haven't met yet.
When: 29th April. Afternoon onwards
Where: Temple Smol (Gegute's library)
What: Just the cutest book party the heavens has ever known! Bring your best book!



Arrival

You might have received an invitation, or perhaps you are just passing Gegute’s library but there is an brightly painted sign outside.

Book Party today!

Everyone welcome! Bring your best book or dress up!

Lots of tasty food!

The doors of the temple are open and once you arrive in the lobby there are more bright arrows pointing the way into the library. If you are still stuck mister Goat is at the help desk, he’ll direct any one who needs it!

Activities

The layout of the library hasn’t really changed at all, except a few tables being moved to accommodate activities and all the comfy reading cushions have been brought to a central location. All the shelves are decorated with colourful paper chains and streamers.

Romeo had really enjoyed Yuna’s birthday party with the activities to do so he had copied the idea for Elfnein’s book party! On one table there is material for making bookmarks. You might want to recut the card strips, they are a little wonky. There is ribbon and glitter and colouring pens and glue.

On another there is a cardboard box puppet theatre, painted in a riot of colours with colourful strips of material as curtains. There is some felt and other material, as well as scissors, glue and wool to make puppets with. A sign reads in childish Hirigana. Show your best book!

Food

The invitations had promised lots of tasty food and there sure was a lot! A whole table filled with tasty treats, Romeo had been very very busy! There was a whole tray of chopped fruit, another of vegetables like carrots and cucumber.

There was bread and cheese and two bowls of pasta with different sauces. Another bowl of noddles with meat and vegetables. There was a huge bowl of rice too with a tray of grilled fish and a bowl of broccoli and asparagus.

An entire part of the table was taken up by apples and things with apples in them, apple turnovers and even an attempt at an apple pie, it was a bit smushed but probably tasted fine.

There was a tray of very misshapen cookies with messy icing and another of even messier cupcakes with far too much buttercream. There were also churos and a chocolate Gateaux, these seemed to have been bought rather than made, Romeo hadn’t even known where to start it making them!

There was an attempt at making books and other shapes out of rice and vegetables packed in the two bento boxes Ebisu’s temple had given him for Christmas, but they were a bit crumbly, misshapen or just plain strange. In the centre of Romeo’s bento attempts was his magical bento box, every time it was opened there were different fancy bento creations, if the children’s attempts left a lot to be desired.

Have fun!

Comments

[nopixiedust]

"Typical of you to pick something so practical." She sighs in exaggeration, shaking her head. Sometimes, she wonders what is with her and finding people who are so serious all the time

"Worried about how good you are in a fight?"

[mithrarin]

"It was a gift." His tone precisely conveyed an arched eyebrow, hidden though it may be. "Kairi gave it to me for Christmas."

[nopixiedust]

"Eh, really?" Somehow, hearing a tone and seeing the real thing really seems to make a difference... Or maybe it's just that Wendy barrels through such things on a regular basis with her disregard for most other people's opinions. "Wow, she really knows you well, huh? I would have never known it wasn't something you had picked out yourself!"

[mithrarin]

"I'd never heard of it before. She knows me really well indeed. She IS one of my oldest friends here." Oldest and most reliable, someone he was always grateful for.

[nopixiedust]

"I think she's just the oldest in general, right?" Leaning back and rocking on her heels, Wendy tilts her head to the side. "I mean, I can't think of too many people in this place that have been around as long as she has. Right? Maybe Shun."

[mithrarin]

"Definitely before my time." Though Dust frowned slightly. "We've been here a while, but I never thought of us as people who have been here... longer than most."

[nopixiedust]

"Well, that might be true for normal people standards... But things are a little bit different when it comes to us, right?" Wendy gestures broadly around, to all of them who have gathered to this party. "I mean, in only a couple of months, we'll both have been here for a year, won't we? Maybe it's not centuries, or however Heaven measures, but it's still a long time, considering. People have anniversaries and birthdays once a year, for example."

[mithrarin]

Dust smiled slightly. "Things are a lot more different for me, since I've never had anything like that. I've been here far, far longer than I was alive already."

[nopixiedust]

"Isn't that all the more reason to hold a party of your own?" Pausing, Wendy taps her chin. "Although I guess you wouldn't have experience with knowing how to host or prepare one. Still, if it's been your first year, for anything, ever, then you should definitely do something. I mean, look at how many people showed up to a little kid's book party." Her hand flicks out towards the gathering that's come. It's not the hugest thing, like the parties Heaven hosts, but it's big enough.

"I'm sure you could do something too and have people show up."

[mithrarin]

"Well, for one, I'd need a place to actually throw the party, and some means by which to do it." Rather thoughtlessly at the moment, Dust forgot just how tied into the sanctuary he ought to be staying in Wendy was. "For another, there's barely anyone left that I know. You, D2, Kairi..."

Trailing off, Dust cast his mind back through the near-year, trying to remember other names, other faces who were still here and could be counted among his friends.

"...Yeah, it's you three. Not much of a party."

[nopixiedust]

"Meet new people here, then," Wendy mentions, not one to give up. "But then even if there's only three other people, that only means you get different choices, right? You can do something a lot more involved instead of spread out. For example, um..." Her finger goes idly through the air as she tries to think of something, tracing nonsense shapes.

"Karaoke? Although you're not a karaoke person."

[mithrarin]

Dust shrugged and finally said something on his mind for while. "I need a place for anything, and an income, for any of that. So I need a god again before I can do anything... preferably one that actually realizes I exist."

[nopixiedust]

"Dust..." Sighing, she reaches over to lightly thwack at his hand with one of her own. "I can help you with both of those areas. You can use the shinki sanctuary, at least until you find somewhere better, and we do match up services. I'll even help a little more by posting on the BBS about it. As for money..."

Well, she's not really in a position for that too much, but she does press the tips of her fingers to one cheek. "Hm. Wasn't Ginia talking about her temple needing workers or something?"

[mithrarin]

"That work probably doesn't include 'hitting things with a sword'." He twitched a slight smile. "But as for getting a god, I'll be reassigned soon anyway, I'm sure. Then it's just..."

The smile flicked away, and Dust turned slightly. The next question was a little embarrassing.

"What's it like, working with your god?"

[nopixiedust]

"...I mean, who knows. It's not like I've ever been there." She shrugs, not really bothered by the fact. Wendy doesn't really care about going to visit old gods, although at least this one seems to have some decent recommendations behind him. "It can't hurt, at least."

Never ask a question, never get an answer, or whatever. Wendy isn't sure if there's a saying for that.

At his question, she pauses, and tilts her head to the side. "Uh... It's often a huge pain?" She waves her hand through the hair. "She's so dramatic and spends stuff so easily, I have to watch her all the time! I mean, she can be fun, too, and easy to handle if you know her weird quirks..."

[mithrarin]

Okay, Dust had to chuckle at that. "I really meant, what's it like having a shinki-god relationship? I want to know if I'm really missing out."

[nopixiedust]

"If I'm honest..." Wendy curls her hand at her chin, thinking seriously on it. "I think... Probably the only real reason to have a relationship with a god is so that you have some way of fighting back against ayakashi. I mean, it's not as if it's such a different relationship from having a friend, or a partner, or a member of your family. You don't even really need them for a home, technically. It just makes it easier. That's what I think from a completely practical point of view."

[mithrarin]

"Oh." That made a great deal of sense -- and brought home what Dust saw as a very uncomfortable truth. Luckily he didn't have a god right now, or they'd be getting one sharp sting. "Then I really need to do better at a friendship with my next one."

wait, wrong small not-child

[nopixiedust]

"I mean, if I'm honest..." Crossing her arms, she leans in close. "I was mostly lying through my teeth when I first made that contract with Hibiki." She flicks a finger up at him. "Sooo...."

Well. That just good luck on her side there. "Sometimes it's a matter of finding someone you just get along decently with, even if you're not friends. I mean, me and her were more like employee and boss at first. I wasn't expecting us to match nearly as well as we've ended up. Whatever works out for you, right?"

WENDY'S SECRET REVEALED

[mithrarin]

"But you're you." Meaning of course that she was a better liar than he was, and was better able to get away with that sort of thing when the truth came to light.

"I'm still trying to find out what works for me," he said, though her words were interesting. He'd tried being friends with his gods, to cataclysmic results. Maybe a purely business relationship would be best.

[nopixiedust]

"You'll figure it out eventually," Wendy says plainly, as if it's just a truth. Well, either he'll figure it out, or he'll disappear before then. One or the other. Wendy likes to hope that he'll get the former first, personally.

"But you can worry about that later. This is a party, so you should relax first, right?"

[mithrarin]

"Third time's the charm, right?" Whoever his next god ends up being. At least this time he won't go into it with any illusions. No friendships, no trust. Just a business relationship, pure and simple, one which will be used as little as possible.

Smiling, he did his best to put that thought aside. "You should know by now I don't know how to relax."

[nopixiedust]

"I keep telling you and Shun to learn!" Wendy sighs overdramatically, which is the best she can do to show she's not serious. "First would be learning to enjoy a good story now and then, probably. I bet there are plenty of cartoons you could get into, even if you keep sticking to books like that." She points a finger up at him.

"Some of them might even be to your tastes! They can get pretty serious on their own sometimes too."

[mithrarin]

"I do enjoy a good book! That just... doesn't feel the same as relaxing. Not compared to going out with a friend and having fun, for example." Which he hadn't done in ages, what with everything going on.

[nopixiedust]

Yeah, just. Let her dead eye him for a second. "And when's the last time you did that?" she presses, because calling people out is a favorite pasttime. The only person who's been exempt from this in any way is Hibiki, and, even with the knowledge that she's mostly relying on her god for things like shelter and money, Wendy still calls her out for things like buying that damn carriage.