recolle | It's A Party! [Semi-Closed]

WHO: Penelope, Freya, Minako, and Lucy + Friends
WHERE: Their house!
WHEN: 6/22
WHAT: A Housewarming and Graduation Party, with a splash of 4th of July. Pen's done with school and some of her closest friends are moving in. Any of their college aged CR is invited!
WARNINGS: Language and Drinking, nothing too serious.

It's been a while and there's been a lot of intervening circumstances, but it is time once again for a party. This time with different causes, not to distract but to relax, have some food and enjoy starting a new chapter in their lives. Pen's got housemates again, and the place is decorated for both graduation and the 4th of July since it seems silly to have another party and ignore that most American of holidays.

I. Afternoon

It starts in the mid afternoon and soon Pen's backyard is filled with the smells of grilled meats and roasting vegetables. A table is set up with condiments and buns for the, burgers, hotdogs, chicken, tofu, all that good stuff plus chips and chili to go with it. Coolers of beer and liquor, wine coolers, tea, soda, lemonade, and some bizarre Japanese sodas as is tradition.

Tables are up for Beer Pong, and Pen has opened up the new shed to show off the five or six retro arcade cabinets she's set up in there. Gifts from her sponsor for videos that she's repurposed. Get your drink on, or go lose some time playing Boulevard Brawler 2, Deadly Anger, and Queen of Fighters '98.

II. Dusk

Night's approach brings with it cooler times and more mellow tunes, as well as moving inside. No sense in being out in Mosquito Country. Pen's little monsters like Tons and White Hare happily run around, collecting trash and then bringing people drinks on request, though those drinks may be slightly off if they were mixed ones because what do you expect from a tiny monster...

Food and games are the order of the day, though Truth or Dare seems to be the perennial favorite. Have a drink and join the circle, or don't and go play Super Crash Brothers and Dario Party, it's all good!

III. Night

It's getting on in the evening, but Pen has one last little surprise for everyone set up. With Vera's help, she's got a small fireworks display set up, though thankfully nothing too dangerous.

This is the time to take a moment, relax, pull someone special aside and have a moment. Nobody is looking, and even if they were, nobody'll judge. Everyone needs a little peace sometimes, to enjoy the simple things. Appreciating them is the key to any successful life, before the turbulence of change hits once again...

OOC: If your character has CR with Minako, Penelope, Freya, or Lucy feel free to assume they were invited!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I mean, I'm experienced but, nah. [ shaking her head. ] Not like that.

Mm. You're gonna have to fill me in then. Not sure what you're gettin' at.

In the other l — In my dreams. I'm always fighting.

Gangs. Thugs. Giant robots. This one... monster. [ deep breath. ] I've got these gloves that shoot fire and they sound almost like that. Fireworks. Shotguns.

[Freya makes an approving noise. Shotgun gloves? Sounds pretty badass, to her.]

[But there was that flare of empathy again. She knew how memories from their other lives could leave a scar.

...Yeah, I hear you. Those hallucinomemories can be a nasty deal, all right. [She makes another noise, this one a wry noise falling short of a laugh.] Robots and monsters seem to be a pretty common theme among the lot of us.

That so? [ calmer by a small margin, Yin takes another drag from her vape before putting it back into her pocket. she could tell it was low and she didn't bring a refill with her, so had to preserve it. at least if she was going to stick around for much longer. ]

Why is it the worst ones are the ones that love to stick around?

What, the monsters, or the memories? Same thing after a while, I guess.

[Freya leans back on her elbows, stretching out to look up at the dark sky.]

Definitely the same thing. [ Yin, meanwhile, keeps her gaze on the grass. counting the blades as she wipes her hands back and forth across them to feel the texture helps ground her thoughts more. the sky with its incomplete arrangements of stars would just make things feel too empty right now. ]

Sounds to me like... you've got some experience with these things, too.

Loads. Been on the app for almost year and a half, now.

[Her shoulders move up in the best shrug Freya could do from her position.]

That other me's been through a lot. All the bits are so jumbled I can't put 'em in any kinda order, but from what I can tell? She didn't turn out a great person 'cause of it. It's hard to keep that from seeping into my life, after feelin' it minute for minute. Still get kinda jumpy around static, and it's been... 10 months? Since I've had that one.

I've been around for a while, too. Just... had a gap in there where I was off and lost stuff. [ she makes a snide expression and huffs. ] Like some kinda bad hangover.

[ Yin looks over at the woman, brow raised. ] Static like... carpet static, or radio?

[She hums in acknowledgement.]

The electric kind. Crazy, ain't it? How even the tiniest reminders can do it.

I don't think it's crazy. [ Yin says all too quick in agreement. she makes a sound as if she was struggling with herself, reluctant to give more information than she ought to. but this might be one of the first time she's related to someone on the subject of triggers. ]

I can't ride in real loud cars. High horsepower. The vibrations are just... yeah. They make me sick. [ a sidelong glance. ] That isn't a memory thing. That's real. [ stump waggle. get it? ]

[Freya glances over when Yin hesitates, then nods. Her scars at least (even if they weren't hers anymore) weren't debilitating. She has a hard time imagining what it's like, living with one arm.]

So you've got yourself a double whammy between lives? That's rough. [--buddy.] You need another drink? [Since she'd found Yin's last one all over the floor.]

Something like that. [ Yin sniffs and wipes at her mouth with the back of her hand. it comes away dry. ] ...I should probably switch to water. Or I'm really gonna hate tomorrow.

[ she contemplates getting up. makes half an attempt, then decides better. ] Ugh. See, the other... "me"? In some dreams she's missing the arm, too. Same exact spot. Dunno how. But I've got a painfully good idea who.

[That makes Freya frown.]

...yeah, some people've got all sorts of creepy parallels to their other life. Names, childhoods, [She gestures vaguely at Yin,] injuries. Then you've got the likes of me, and just about everything's the bloody opposite.

Retrospec swears left and right both of our lives are just as real as the other, but sometime? I wonder just how exactly it's all connected.

Don't you know? It's "soul energy". [ complete with one-handed airquotes. ] Heh. They ain't gotta explain shit.

[ nah, she doesn't buy that excuse either, but it's the one she likes to stick to. simpler. easier to rebel against. ]

It's A Party! [Semi-Closed]

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