[OPEN] Not quite a midlife crisis

[matchbreaker]

WHO: Anyone! Elda had and open invitation here so feel free to assume your character saw it or heard about it from a friend and that I didn't forget to put a date on the invitation
WHERE: The Marker manor in Veia Village
WHEN: Starting at 4:30 on Sunday until ???
WHAT: A belated open invitation birthday party!
WARNINGS: N/A

A) So the manor itself is ... well, about what you'd expect when someone says "manor" - it's a very large stately house built clearly a hundred or so years ago. However, the party itself seems to be mostly on the first floor - two sitting rooms, a large dining room and the kitchen. There's a bathroom as well of course and one of those sitting rooms does include a television. There's an upper floor where most of the bedrooms are (though there is at least one on the ground floor) and a cellar but you don't need to see those, right? That would be rude.

The biggest oddity of the house though is the lighting: most of the house's curtains are thick and dark (though Elda did open them for more natural light around the time this starts) and all the overhead lights are... red. They give off red light. It gives this whole place a very... gothic sort of atmosphere. It's odd. Though Elda's done her best to make it seem inviting, complete with a sign out front to urge party-goers into the place. So ... enjoy?! Hopefully, everyone can show up and have a good time. Also Elda has like a dozen cats, some of which might be around the floor (the ones she didn't banish to the upper floors for not being the sort of get along with others) so feel free to pet them or play with them. They'll be around, watching.

B) This is what everyone actually came here for, right? That Elda has called in no less than thirty full sized cakes here of all sorts of flavors here for people to more than have their fill. Some of them are white, chocolate, yellow... some of them are carrot or walnut or pineapple or more obtuse flavors. Some of them are gluten free actually because she's considerate. Others are more obtuse, like Elizabeth's requested chocolate-habanero cake. There's fruit flavored ones (apple, pink champagne, etc), red velvet, Texas sheet cake, German chocolate cake... Maybe even a rum cake for some reason?

Honestly, the point is that there is more cake that God knows what to do with here. Though there is notably only one (albeit sizable) one of each. So the most popular ones might be in high demand, even as they're all spread out across various little tables across the dining room, sitting room, and kitchen. (there is also ice cream and water... and juice. Not soda, because she's like that)

C) Games! I mean, she wasn't initially planning on party games but then she realized that she probably should. As such, she dragged up several decks of cards, every board game she had in the house (mostly old candyland or clue knock offs or the like) and then bought several new board games that were recommended to her at a game store. So you might see something more complex or new there, and it might still be in the plastic wrap. Weird. But hey, they're there and at tables. There's also Cards Against Humanity (and Apples to Apples, or knock offs of either).

... Also there's a starter set for Bunkers & Badasses but no one seriously wants to try to do that here, right? And then she heard this Duel Monsters game is popular these days so she picked up two booster boxes of it (... wait, seriously?) if anyone wants to do some sort of DIY "make a deck based on what you open" tournament or something. There do not seem to be any video games though, unless you brought them yourself.

D) Finally apart from those party games and the cake, the other draw of the setting here might be the decorations and music. The soundtrack of this party is very much late 80s/early 90s heavy (but then, the woman of the hour here did turn 41, so that does represent her teen years and early 20s) but is played out of a sound system that is actually hooked up around each of the rooms. It's controlled by an ipod in the kitchen though in the event you want to switch the tracks or see what's up on there. She doesn't really expect dancing or karaoke, but hey, if someone wants to rig that up, they're more than free. There is space enough for it in some room or another.

Decoration wise, there's a little bit less. She bought a lot of party hats and a few poppers, but a lot of it is either early Christmas themed or late Halloween themed. She felt a little bit awkward to give herself some actual birthday things. But if you want a silly hat or some little plate to go with your cake? Or peppermint ice cream for that matter. That's all around. So have at and have fun, like she'd been talking about defiance.

E) I mean this is an open mingle feel free to make up your own prompts!

But as a bit of a forward here, Elda is a responsible adult and as such minors will not be able to get alcohol. There's no open bar, no club drugs, etc. If you want they can have brought their own but if noticed by her or hopefully most of her friends they can and will be kicked out because she doesn't want to deal with that now. Other than that caveat, the obvious implication that you can't go to the manor's bedrooms (though there are way more here than there are people who use them if you wanna try for it), and her three stated rules, feel free to have fun and do whatever. I'm open for anything and this is an open log for people to have fun with. If your characters are going to cause a ruckus you feel I ought to know about, PM me or hit me up at bigdamnhero.

Comments

[matchbreaker]

A) [ So Elda's the woman of the hour and honestly feeling a little bit awkward for it now that she's sort of hanging out in the main Foyer for the first hour or so of the night, a party hat on her head and her purple hair done up in a ponytail. She's got a smile on her face and she's wearing a dress she found the other week which called to her. She does not have her sunglasses on though, so she narrows her eyes a bit whenever the door opens, but. ]

Welcome, I'm glad you could make it. Please, go enjoy yourself.

[ . . . Totally how you do a birthday party, right? ]

B) [ Eventually though, she does sit and she's pleased at seeing people about and having fun here. Tired of playing host from the door though she's settled down with a piece of some cake or another and a ... bottle of wine. ... Yeah despite it not being open bar the hostess sure is going to have a drink. Is that fair? Who knows, but she's doing it, sitting here in the dining room and watching people.

She also now and again is checking out her nails. they're still that gaudy red from the Retrospec Nail Polish she got months ago that she put on a whim the other day. She's growing to like it, she thinks? Even if it it's a bit... much. She should probably trim them a little too (they are nowhere near as long as he icons though). Ah well.

If you want to talk to her once she's settled, go for it. ]

C) [ Later on though, she's shuffling some cards here. It seems this is a thing she has decided that she is doing. She smirks a little bit and anyone who seems likely to come over: ]

Apples to Apples? Rummy? Or maybe you can teach me one of these other things here. Let's get some game group together.

D) [ ... Hit me up with what the hell ever I mean she is the host so go for it? ]

C

[imaginex]

-- Oh, I'll play!

[She's underage and hasn't had a drop to drink, but the party atmosphere is contagious all the same.]

I haven't played Rummy in years, though.

[matchbreaker]

I'm actually a little surprised you even know how.

[ Still, she says it with some pleased notes in her voice as she shuffles the deck, looking around as if expecting someone else to show up but even if no one does, well, whatever, they can do a round with just them. ]

[imaginex]

Really?

[She slides into her seat with a surprised look about her] It's not like it's hard...

[COMPLETELY MISSING THE POINT but c'mon, Elda, deal her in]

Oh-- Should we bet on something?

B

[sakeplz]

[If EVER there is a person to not judge her for drinking an entire bottle of wine it's this guy right here. Jirou slides on over to her with a glass of his own and even gives her cheek a kiss.]

A kiss for the birthday girl!

[He laughs and straights up. Today he's actually wearing guy clothes. Just like women's clothes they do wonders for his figure. Probably comes from having the money to make sure they're flawlessly tailored to him.

And his mother is a fashion designer. That too.]

Having a good party?

[matchbreaker]

[ That this man became such a part of her life... she laughs a little at it, grinning up at him with her red eyes exposed. She waves her glass to gesture that he can sit if he wants. She can even pour some out for him if he wants.

That said, ]

Yeah, this is about what I was hoping for. Just people seeming to have a hoot.

[sakeplz]

[Well he'll finish his glass and happily take another since she's offering! Drinking with friends is the best kind of drinking!]

Don't worry. We're all adorable owls here.

[You know. Because owls hoot.]

a

[elevelvetor]

[ Elizabeth gives her two things: the first is a curtsy, and the second is a lovely bouquet. She's kept Elda's words in mind here—there's pale lavender roses, with more vibrant lavender proper tucked between them, and some white chamomile flowers to give it a little more interest, all tied with a dark purple ribbon.

There's a small printed card that goes with it, hooked onto the ribbon, detailing the specifics; in layman's terms, chamomile represents "all who know you will love you," while lavender and lavender colors represent a dainty elegance befitting someone like her. ]

Happy birthday, Ms. Marker. Thank you for the invitation.

[matchbreaker]

[ Oh that's... that's not really what she expected to get today, but it brings a smile to her lips all the same. It's less ostentatious than the roses she got the other day, though these are...

She takes them in hand and gives the collection a smell before smiling back at the other. ]

No, thank you, Elizabeth. [ She did say she didn't need to bring anything, so. ] I hope that you enjoy yourself.

A!

[ladytakamaki]

[ SO UH. ann had no idea what to buy for elda's birthday present, but is that a bottle of wine? yup. it's a bottle of red wine!

she's a little late to the party, but she's here. she's here and she's chipper as usual! ]

Hey, Elda! Thanks for inviting me. Uh, I didn't know what to get you, so I just brought some wine I thought you'd like, if that's okay?

[matchbreaker]

I had been telling people they don't need to buy anything...

[ She says that more to herself than anything, but her cheeks color as she takes the wine. She doesn't check it out because she doesn't want to judge it one way or the other in front of the younger woman for fear it isn't the best vintage. She'll like it either way - for now, she definitely appreciates it. ]

Thank you, though. That's very considerate of you.

B

[blessmefather]

I don't think I said it yet. Happy birthday.

[ Matt had easily been swept up in the crowd and distracted for a time by the size of everything. This might be the first time he had ever been in a manor this large. Then there were the cakes. He was thinking she was referring to something small like cupcakes for her guests in her invitation, not an entire bakery's worth.

He had been feeling unwell a couple days before when he woke up with super senses but he had regained enough focus and control to take in the information his body was constantly picking up on without his head feeling like it was splitting constantly. That plus some tylenol and he made it to the party. Every different cake flavor made itself known to him by scent alone. It was an enjoyable little experience to identify them one by one as he walked past the tables. ]

My niece mentioned that you gave her some suggestions to help with my problem the other day. Thank you for that.

[matchbreaker]

Oh thank you--- oh. Oh golly, you're him?!

[ Oh shit wait that was too loud. She stands abruptly though. She's only 5' but she scurried around her seat to get over to him and look at him with some concern, looking him up and down. They talked on the network, she saw him at a glance at the training -- fight club thing, but they must've missed most of the days. Right now though, she looks up at him with naked concern-

Oh wait, he can't see that. But all the same. ]

Oh, are you alright now? Seriously, this must be such a cacophony for you.

A

[fairhands]

[ Honestly looking at the house has made Marcell a little self-conscious about the gift he got her -- he's always had the impression that Elda was well-off, he just hadn't imagined it to be this well-off. He's put on a nice suit and tied his hair up. ]

Happy birthday, Elda. Thanks for inviting me.

[ He hands over his gift; a red box tied with a purple. ]

[matchbreaker]

Oh no, of course! Even if it wasn't open invitation, I'd be silly not to invite you.

[ She says with a smile, but then... the box. Noticing the box she - her expression shifts a little, but she rights it quick enough. Her expression is easier to read though without the sunglasses. ]

A (kind of an E)

[courageofheart]

[Mrs. Brisby had seen the post, but had been waffling for a few days on whether or not to attend. She didn't really know Miss Marker, personally, but the invitation had been open and she had admitted to feeling frightened and upset. And even if they had never met, and Mrs. Brisby hadn't gotten the gaul to respond to the message, she did decide to bake something and arrive, even if she was nearly an hour early. She wasn't certain that she'd stay very long, but at the very least, she would do the neighborly thing and wish a woman that was around her age a happy birthday!

...It does take Mrs. Brisby a few moments to brace herself, intimidated by the manor even with the sign out front. She hesitantly approached the front door and, pausing to collect herself one final time, rang the doorbell.]

[matchbreaker]

[ Oh, that much earlier than the appointed time? I mean Elda was of course dressed (though not yet in the dress she intended to wear later in the day, so much was she still running around getting things set up, more slacks and a comfort-top) but she wasn't quite prepared for people to show up and-

She hurried to the door. The short woman (Elda's only like 5') looks out at the newcomer, tires to see if she recognizes her... doesn't - oh, no, she might have seen her at some village event or another but she can't place a name to the face and, ]

Err, welcome! I apologize, you're a bit early so I'm still setting things up.

[ And it's at that moment she realizes that she doesn't have her sunglasses on and it's still bright out now and her eyes start to tear up a little. Ugh, shit. She slams them shut and motions the woman inside. ]

[courageofheart]

Y-yes, I'm sorry... I hadn't really said anything about coming by. Nice to meet you, I'm Mrs. Brisby.

[She fidgets with her bag, glancing around at the decorations being finalized.]

I finished what I needed to do a bit early, I suppose.

[vitis]

i.

[ john's seen "new" money, working around those places on occassions. but this. manor spelled it out for him, but seeing it live and in person is another thing.

barring the weirdness of goth atmosphere, uh— well. listen, he has a feeling he knows the purpose of the red lighting and curtains, but it still kind of adds to some dark misconceptions of his that he prefers. ams folded over his chest, loitering about in that sitting rooms with the TV (and eyeing its potential for escapism with temptation), he'll probably be sticking to the edge of things for now. ]

... So this is old money, huh.

[ he sounds. pretty certain of himself, all of a sudden. ]

ii.

[ it's more cakes than john's ever seen in one place before in his life. he's probably on his fourth plate by now. which means it's time for fifths, cutting a slice of that apple cake for himself. it's when he glances up to someone near, then to speak like you're in need of a recommendation: ]

That one's pretty good! [ pointing to one of the less common flavors, whether it's pineapple or the rum cake. then he points to the carrot cake: ] And I got leftover dibs on that one.

[ or all of them. he doesn't think rich people do leftovers. ]

iii.

[ later, once john would probably die if he has even one more bite of cake, he's parked himself in one of the sitting rooms to flop down in a seat. he's got his grape juice, some knickknacks for the cats, and a bunch of cats. what's better. some old twine of his gets flung every so often so that the cats do impressive, sick acrobatic stunts. apparently, cats can jump up to eight feet. who knew!

once they've grown weary of that, though, he's successfully quested for a little ball. granted, cats don't tend to be stellar at the whole 'fetch' concept; he's rolling it close so that it's easily retrievable. but mostly, because it's funny (judging by the occasional snicker): rolling it out in front of people as they're walking so that a cat goes streaking past, rolling it at people's feet so that shoelaces are suddenly the hot new distraction.

sorry, innocent bystanders (except if you're toushirou, you're safe. again, he doesn't want to die right now). ]

II

[matchbreaker]

Oh, which ones are you enjoying?

[ She sort of glances over and up to get a better look at whatever John happens to have on a plate right now. The thing of it is despite ordering all this shit mostly to try to make this a much bigger party than it has any logical reason to be...

She's not tried a lot of these?

So the host of the hour can't help but be a little curious about what's actually popular. ]

[vitis]

[ which ones isn't john enjoying, would be the better question. he does lift his plate so she can get a better look at it and all of its fruity glory. ]

The apple one, for now. It's tasty! I haven't been where you got all these from, but you made a good choice.

[ granted, they could probably be from the most mediocre box of instant cake mix and he'd still think it to be good? but details. he's appreciative, wearing a bright smile. don't think he's done talking, though, because an important thought hits him-- ]

... And y'know, 'cause you're the hostess, you could probably stick a fork into all of 'em just for a lil' bite.

[elevelvetor]

[ ...These are sort of the type of parties she's used to attending, yet it still manages to be a bit more lively than the standard fare. That's good; she sort of hated attending socials.

But regardless, since this is a party for a rich lady and also blue is back, she's opted for something a little different than her usual. She even has a powder blue rose earrings to match!! Elizabeth is prepared. Now, with all that out of the way— ]

i.

[ Chocolate-habanero cake...!!! Elizabeth has a slice of it, along with some of the pink champagne cake... but her main focus is this warm, tasty delight. She's thinking it isn't going to be as popular as other flavors so... maybe... she can simply just eat all of it herself...

...that's going to make her sick and she probably should not. Hmmmmm. She'll look around for a moment, then wave your character over. ]

Have you tried the chocolate-habanero? I promise it isn't quite as hot as you think... Habaneros aren't really that spicy either, not when you compare them to other peppers.

ii.

[ Games!!! Games. Games are fun, except Elizabeth's gone the way of cards... She's largely over here with ordinary playing cards, having cleared a space for herself, and she's open to inviting anyone to play—poker, blackjack, old maid, things like that.

But sometimes, she has some of those Duel Monster cards, and she seems to be studying them. ]

...I'd like something cute, but this one's much stronger...

[ Deck building is so hard........ ]

iii.

[ The first time she pops a party popper, it's a little startling, so you might catch her looking like a deer in headlights.

...All subsequent times are definitely directly behind people to get a similar look out of them. Sorry, she got Jack Frost just today, and his mischievous nature is already rubbing off on her. She's not even bothering to hide after surprising someone though—she's just laughing quietly, one hand over her mouth like a polite lady. ]

My apologies. I was simply having a bit of fun.

iv.

[ anything else, if none of the above catch your interest! ]

[yakan]

B
[ Kiyoshi loves food. Otherwise he wouldn't run a blog about food. So obviously, Kiyoshi is here solely for the cake and he's going to dig in on the cake, and he's intent on trying just about every one of them. It's like his stomach is bottomless. At least he only takes one piece a time, though it means he's hanging around the tables instead of finding a place to sit. ]

E
[ He hums along to songs he grew up with, before he left Japan, sometimes surprised that he remembers the words so well. (And he's got a pretty good voice.)

And as a cat lover (he has two and a dog) he has to pet the cats. And there are so many in this house. He's talking happily to them, between singing along to songs. (He's not going to go off far though, he brought his NPC kid along. They'll fall asleep beside him at some point, and that's when he'll get ready to leave, but that's later in the evening, right now the kid is busy playing games.) ]

[matchbreaker]

Oh wow, that's Reginald there, isn't it? I'm surprised.

[ She almost, almost locked him up in one of the bedrooms. Reginald, the large black cat there by Kiyoshi is almost notoriously distant from people, pushing back from affection other than from Elda herself. So she remarks with some surprise as she passes the man. ]

[yakan]

Oh? [ He looks up from the cat, and smiles at her. And he smiles at the cat. ] Reginald, huhm? That’s a nice, regal sounding name you have. Did you name him?