[F11 - OP] Christmas Chaos (aka Come Eat All Of Koga's Food)

[Astralin 0]

The party had dissolved into a state of chaos once the game that gambled sweets had ended. Apparently someone had gone and left the sink on, resulting in some raised emotion and stress as a few players, including the host, would all jump in and try to resolve the issue. The pink haired baker sent a slime to absorb the water, and the players trying to fix the mess somehow saw the slime as part of the mess...uh oh...

A player entered the house, and the host had some trouble letting her in, due to his current state...but he seemed to....

Astreya would confirm Astralin's suspicion, and Astralin would smile. It was nice to know that Koga had found someone he could spend his days with. Astreya noticed that the players were considering treating the slime like any other monster, and she...went over to defend the slime? She was now right next to it, and she proceeded to poke it. Astralin had a very concerned expression on her face. "A girl right next to a big slime...I'm not sure how I feel about this..." Astralin had her reasons for being concerned...and it may or may not be what one might think it is.

@Astreya

 

Astralin's conversation with the dealer continued. The dealer....had the audacity to say she was like a witch. Astralin gave him a deadpanned stare. "If cursor colors meant nothing, I'd slap your face with my Spellbook." She said, irritated. "I'm not a witch. There is a clear difference between a witch and a mage. I don't call upon suspicious forces or harness dark energy." She added. "Do I even look like I'd be the type to make eerie chants at midnight?"

@Gaius

[Astreya 0]

Astreya grinned as she poked the slimy creature again, curious about what sort craziness would happen if it had a hole poked in it like a balloon.  The water would come bursting out like a fire hose, she guessed, and while that would be really cool to see, Frazz had done a really good job of absorbing all of this water like a sponge- blasting it all back over Koga's house would undo everything that had been done- that would be silly.  

Even if it would be hilarious.

All the same, Astreya's attention was taken away from Frazzberry, (but not before she gave a wink toward Astralin at her comment,) as she realized that her friend was going up to Koga directly.  She was about to ask if she wanted to come poke the slime too, when she heard the words coming from Nari's mouth.  "What!?  Nari!!" she spoke, scandalized.  She knew that the poor girl wasn't exactly socialized properly, but all the same, she hadn't really expected that kind of a reaction from her.

And the fact that Koga had immediately just wanted to be done with it meant too that it was something that he was somewhat... well, she didn't know if 'ashamed' was the right word, but Astreya hadn't yet heard about this story about him and Bismuth.  She didn't exactly put that past Bis, as fun of a time as she'd had with him hunting for materials, but all the same it was wild to think that Koga would do that.

That gave her a whole new light when it came to him, but she wouldn't ask that right now- she didn't want to cause the man further strife when gossip that she had been sharing with Nari in confidence had backfired so horribly in such a way.  "Nari!  Let's go this way!" the girl called loudly, pulling her friend away from Koga and just...anywhere else that she could think, trying to staunchly refuse to acknowledge the building fear that was starting to fill up her mind.

She had thought she was doing well to make friends here and have fun and now a single, thoughtless comment from her had potentially brought all of that crashing down.  She could feel the growing darkness within her.  Stupid and thoughtless.  So stupid.

On the surface, she would hope that it would look more like she was trying to save Koga the embarrassment from Nari's words, rather than trying to save her own mental state.  "So like, I was going to see if you wanted to, like, learn to play Blackjack- the game we were playing.  So like, next time, we can all play!" she cheered, the sunny smile belying the terror of the night within.

[Blueberry 0]

Another drink of that wine would reach her lips. This baker hadn't attempted to make any drinks so she would have to concede defeat to Gaius in that sense. Blue wasn't too worried unless the man managed to be better at crafting desserts than her as well. An uproar of voices caught her attention, especially the familiar irritated tone that had been introduced to her at the start of this party.

'Pink-haired dessert saboteur'? What an interesting nickname. The brown-haired girl seemed to have quite the prissy attitude and for some strange reason, seemed to only pop in just to try and moderate things. Was this her house? Maybe this was frying-pan boi's girlfriend and she was upset with what was happening to her house. Blue wouldn't be saying anything to her, it would only serve to incur more of her ill-placed wrath. 

 "Why?"

Sticking a tongue out at the boy, "I don't know why your house was flooding but you're lucky Frazberry is in a good mood or else you would be mopping for hours." Luckily for her, Blue wouldn't even have to defend herself too much. Astreya would pop in before poking the enlarged slime.  "Blue you're the weird one, the hell is that thing?" Man, she had just received a bunch of unwanted attention, huh? "It's Frazberry. He kinda just follows me everywhere. I've accepted it." 

Standing, she would move to the kitchen door. It seemed there was enough water on the ground that the slime wouldn't be able to fit in the door normally. "Yo Fraz, can't you do something about yourself. You are apparently upsetting people." Her words were awarded with an anger symbol that would form at the top of the slime's head. "He didn't like that. Leave him alone, he'll figure something out. Fraz doesn't enjoy being away from me for too long so I'm sure he'll do something." 

[NIGHT 0]

 "I don't know why your house was flooding but you're lucky Frazberry is in a good mood or else you would be mopping for hours."

To be honest, Koga might've only been mopping for minutes. But NIGHT didn't say that, looking over the slime-with-a-name.

"Yo Fraz, can't you do something about yourself. You are apparently upsetting people."

Only frustration to the familiar. What? What kind of an owner was this other woman? What happened to taking care of the things you owned? Likewise, it was almost as though the player had shared the slime's concern after the sight. So NIGHT looked to the goop in disbelief and annoyance. Did it share its properties with a sponge, in truth? Then, shouldn't it need a place to go and dispose of the liquid...?

"He didn't like that. Leave him alone, he'll figure something out."

If NIGHT hadn't been holding in her manners, she might've growled. Instead, she turned her attention to 'Fraz' and started to think. Would it at least react to the suggestions of another player? Some familiars did that in Aincrad, having a mind of their own as accurate to life as pets had been.

Then...

"Koga," she howled to their host, lost in the cleaning than she was in the party now, "Do you have a bathtub?" Almost on instinct, the player had her hand on the slime's -- uh -- gelatinous outline. "It'd be best to shrink Frazberry here so we can make room."

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

As Astreya dragged her away, Nari glanced back at Koga, wondering if she’d said something wrong. She had simply asked…her eyes shifted to Astreya, the girl clearly not impressed with what she had done. ‘I did a bad.’

She let the girl pull her away from the crowd – not really wanting to learn ‘Blackjack’, but aware enough that putting up any sort of resistance might cause more problems in the situation. She thought back over what she had said, her brow furrowing as she did so. ‘Was it wrong to mention Koga kissing Bismuth? I hadn’t actually seen it, so maybe it didn’t happen? But then why would Bis tell me…wait. Maybe Koga and the girl are dating and he’s cheating? That…doesn’t seem like something he would do, but how well do I really know him?’

The thoughts kept her enthralled for a moment, and when she blinked she realised she was – hopefully – out of ear shot of Koga and the others. Keeping her voice to a whisper, she leaned into Astreya, asking her question carefully – the words picked out in a manner she hoped would stop any further upset.

“Uhm…Iris…did I…did I do something wrong? Is Koga…well…are him and the girl…a thing? Cause…Bis…Bismuth, a guy I know, said that Koga tongued him. Like…deep.” Nari paused, realising what she had just said. “That didn’t come out right. He…He put his tongue in his mouth.”

@Astreya

Spoiler

Word Count: 234

 

[Koga 0]

Astreya swept in like some sort of guardian angel, ferrying Nari away, taking the danger away from Koga...unfortunately, she may have been too late. Koga chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck as watched the two walk off before glancing over at Kasumi. Was she going to be mad at him?

When Blueberry answered the man's rather tired inquiry the man just took a moment to stare at the pink-haired girl. Then at the engorged slime squished between his sink and stove. Then back to Blueberry. "Ya know what, fair...thanks..." he replied to the girl before looking at the slime again. "Will you uh...be able to get him outta here later?"

It was then that NIGHT jumped in once more, after having helped the slime miraculously clean up his home (honestly, the place probably looked better than when the night had started). "...Yes...yes I have a bathtub, NIGHT." At first he was gonna give his friend some sarcastic remark before he reminded himself that some people preferred to have just a shower stall. Koga though, he was a man who liked having options. "It's upstairs...what exactly are you suggesting?"

[Astreya 0]

As they had gotten away from the rest of everyone else, Astreya prompted Nari with the idea of learning how to play Blackjack.  Of course, there was absolutely no reason to get her to learn to play.  It was merely a ruse to get the dark-haired girl some time to try and figure things out, and it was a transient excuse at best.  She didn't want Nari to feel like she'd done something wrong, and all the same... it was hard to put that into a way that didn't upset her... and possibly make her made at Astreya too.

Eventually, Nari spoke, and the other woman blinked, fixing her friend with a smile.  "Well..." Astreya began at the response to the first question, but she let Nari continue, giving her full spiel.  Of course, that just left the brunette even more mystified from the explanation given.  "Okay, okay, so like, you didn't see all this going down?  Like, don't get me wrong, but I know Bis, and while...okay, that's, like, pretty on-brand, it might just be like... a joke, y'know?  Or like, a dare?  Or like, a bet?" she spoke, listing off a few things.

"But like, pretend you're Koga, and there's a girl you like, and then like, someone comes up and says they totally saw you kissing someone else, y'know?  That's gonna make someone upset," the girl continued, putting on a slightly embarrassed smile.  "Especially like... if there's not any proof, y'know?"

[NIGHT 0]

"Drain Fraz out of water," NIGHT stated plainly. It wasn't as though she was paying attention to the other party goers around her; she wasn't here for the social aspects, after all. "Assuming it could be rolled upstairs -- ah, but the pressure..."

It pained the player to even consider the possibility that such an event would occur in her own home. In fact, it almost moved her to redesign her own living conditions due to the fact that she, too, had a bathroom only on the second floor. But that wouldn't help the poor slime full of liquid still. NIGHT thought about it a little more before opting to push it towards the other side of the room.

"--Never mind. Frazberry, if we can just get you to the garden outside, we could probably drain you out of water... on the grass, if not a tarp... That would work, wouldn't it...?"

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari’s hands went to her mouth as she listened to Astreya’s explanation. How had she been so foolish, not realising what she had said, what she had done. “Oh! Oh no! What have I…oh no!”

Spinning around towards Koga, waving a hand to get his attention, she shouted out across the room. “Koga! I’m so sorry – I didn’t realise bringing up the whole Bismuth kiss thing could be a problem! I’m sorry!”

Turning back to Astreya with a slight smile on her face, a sheepish look to match, Nari will pause for a moment before going wide-eyed. “Oh my gods. I did it again, didn’t I?! Shit. Shit. Ah shit.”

Her face falling as she suddenly realised the chaos she was creating, Nari slid closer to Astreya, as if trying to hide in the girl’s shadow. Her hands clasped around her mouth, she’ll mumble through them. “Uhm…Iris…I don’t think I should…speak much, anymore. It might be better…if, well, if I stayed…quiet…”

@Astreya @Koga

Spoiler

Word Count: 161

 

[Yona 0]

What even was anything anymore?

This whole party had been a double edged blade, but there seemed to be more negative than positive. Everything was set up by the host for a good time, from what Yona could guess, but there just had to be a few bozos who either didn't know what the hell they were doing, or didn't care about the effects of their actions.

"What's your deal? Just like eating things off the floor?" The drunkard called out to Yona. Yona pulled out the other item from her inventory as she stared daggers at him, and while he was distracted in conversation with Astralin, Yona would chuck a balled-up rag at his face.

@Gaius

 

Astreya would walk over to the slime and poke it, which was very concerning, and Astralin seemed to have a similar opinion, based on the remark Yona overheard.

...But Astreya's wink in response to it was not a good thing.

No.

No, this was not going to become one of those kinds of moments. Yona's expression would normally have gone well with a cringe. "What the hell are you doing? Get back!"

Thankfully, an awkward moment involving a purple haired woman who seemed to have social ineptitude happened to draw the valley girl's attention away from the slime.

@Astreya

 

Then it was back to what to do about the slime for everyone else. The saboteur would speak up.

"It's Frazberry. He kinda just follows me everywhere. I've accepted it." 

...."Frazberry"?

What kind of odd blend of Raspberry and Fazbear was that name supposed to be? Well, maybe everyone did have their odd companions...

"Yo Fraz, can't you do something about yourself. You are apparently upsetting people." The saboteur said to the slime. "Well, gee, I wonder why..." Yona muttered under her breath.

The slime's expression changed somewhat, but it didn't look positive. "He didn't like that. Leave him alone, he'll figure something out." The saboteur said.

Yona suppressed a scowl. How careless. The slime "belonged" to her, and she wasn't going to do anything about its misbehavior?

@Blueberry

 

Well, if anything, maybe Yona and the other women should keep their distance...

Nope, never mind, one of the women present made the mistake of placing a hand on the slime. Yona's expression broke as she shuddered slightly. The woman and the host would seem to discuss options of where to move the slime as to "drain" it....yeah, nothing of the sort sounded good involving a slime like that. Soon the woman would opt to push the slime.

Nope, this goes no further!

"W-wait just a minute now, I don't think we should be touching that thing!" Yona called out all of a sudden. "We don't even know where it's been, for one!" She added. "Or what it'll do." She thought.

@Koga @NIGHT

[kali 0]

//ref.

Spoiler [level 1.]

Humans see Christmas.

Yue Hua sees a locked door barring her from her objective.

It's four hours into the night, tightly packed clouds raining down a heavy snowfall, and the ghost wears a small pout on her lips as she spins around in a small circle – searching for a familiar face she knows isn't there. At some point after she had inquired with the elderly man who lived alone in the corner lot, he must have gotten up, went for dinner at someone else's place, locked all the doors behind him. The pure white snow has since covered his tracks, and as much as she wants to be happy that the old widower isn't spending this eve alone, that now leaves her standing in a winter storm with quite the troublesome bundle in her arms.

Two fingers draw back the blanket just enough for a pair of ears and a fluffy striped head to poke through. "I can't leave you outside in this weather, kitty," she apologizes, then in cat language, she rubs the pad of her middle finger beneath her new companion's chin. "So you're sticking with me tonight."

She tugs the blanket back into place and lets her feet take her in a random direction away from the empty house.

In the morning, Taft will be up to its neck in snow. The people will spend the day shoveling it from their doors and the colorful banners dangling between the buildings will turn a uniform white until the sun melts it all away. But in this gray evening, the snowflakes pile into a tiny mountain atop the ghost's white hood, and she talks with her new friend and hopes her voice isn't carried away by the winds whistling in her ears, and she thinks she likes the feeling of sinking ankle-deep into the snow with every step. She leaves a visible trail behind her and peers at lit windows, stares back at empty roads.

She's not familiar with this city, so she goes to the brightest beacon she could find: a foreigner's settlement, if she were to guess from the way it contrasts the old European feel of the place, playing the cheesiest Christmas music she's heard in a long while.

The door is slightly ajar, she learns, because it swings open some before her third knock could land and it's the numbness from the cold that makes her stutter, "Oop," before she pushes it the rest of the way with a gentle nudge of her knee. Blinking fast against the light spilling out of the entryway, Kali shakes off her hood. "Hi. May I take–"

–shelter in your house a bit.

The floor is wet. The snow beneath her shoes is wet; there's a stream from the front door to the center of the road where the ground is darker than the rest. And there's a gelatinous blob about half her size in her face, and a tracksuited woman is behind it, clearly having been pushing it towards the door. A small group of partygoers gather behind her in a semicircle.

And Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You is playing.

"..."

The politeness in Kali's expression drains into a mix of concern, astonishment, and the face one makes when they aren't sure if they're the only person in the room who finds the comedian's awful joke funny.

“Um. Do you guys need help?”

Edited February 28, 2022 by kali

[Blueberry 0]

Many seemed exasperated in her decision to leave the slime alone. Luckily, Koga seemed fine enough with the idea. When he raised his question, Blue would answer him bluntly. "He'll get out one way or another. I told ya, he doesn't like being away from me." Little did she know the reason why though. Turning around, she would leave the slime behind. 

Blue's departure would only serve to continue to aggravate the slime. For a gelatinous figure, it couldn't appear more upset. These random humans were fussing all about and now the one he had chosen was retreating? The pink-haired fool would pay dearly.  Most likely to the other's surprise, it would move forward and away from the towards the door in the kitchen. Abruptly, it would stop and turn. A perfectly aimed stream of water would sprinkle through the air and into the sink. After all of the water it had picked up was expelled, Fraz-Urb'luu would rush after its source of nourishment. 

[Hirru 0]

Hirru began to think that this wasn't worth the effort.  He was sure that the issue was going to escalate, as it always did, and he would be berated for it once more.  He sighed as both NIGHT and Yona seemed to get after him.  He would take the thing given to him, it seemed like a long sheet of fabric that could take in water more easily.  Where was this when they were having the issue?  Still, the hunter had to accept the item, so the young woman could worry about something else, that being the slime thing that was still growing.

"Okay, I think it may be becoming more of a thing now, it seems."

Hirru would say while taking the mop over to the kitchen, but the issue was already absolved.  The slime was rather large, having absorbed a little too much.  Yona seemed to protest more about it, to which the pink haired one would remark about it before walking away.  The slime seemed to work in mysterious ways, as it expelled the water back into the sink, making itself small once more.  It would then blaze past him in a manner most befitting a hungry animal chasing prey.

"Whelp..  I think this is why I'm not invited to these things.. I just make things worse, it seems.  Heh heh!"

He would say this to no one in particular, but it was vocal enough for those close to him to hear.  A smile was on his face, but not for very long.  With that, though, he would turn his attention back to Jevi while drying himself off with the towel that was given to him.  He would have to return this some time.

@Jevi @Yona @Koga

[Kasumi 0]

Holding a slender package between two hands, as the entire house seemed to be buzzing with the respective insanity. One big slime center stage, players a plenty rushing back and forth aiming to deal with it. Water slowly creeping out, but Kasumi seemed locked in a smile. To those that would look at her, she seemed as though someone had hit pause on a VCR.

What was racing through her head, was the thought of Koga kissing another person. After the moment they shared. And it was a guy... Was Koga into men? Was she mistaken? It was almost eerie, the way that the smile didn't fade. As the culprits whisked away, The host she'd sought milled about with other frequent fliers in this madhouse. Kasumi remained frozen.

Swift death to those that have wronged me.

In the back of her head, she contemplated shoving an extended pair of sharp fingers into Koga's kidney. That would kill him quickly, right? Milling over the thought, and coming to terms with the possibility, The O&I operative weighed the notion. Eventually that bloodlust fades, but it finds competition. If she wanted this, wanted him. It was clear she would have to fight for him.

"I brought you something." As if someone had hit play, and her smile remains chipper and hides well the thought of murder.

[NIGHT 0]

“Um. Do you guys need help?”

NIGHT was about to say yes. What NIGHT didn't know was that the option was about to be decided for her.

In its neglect, the slime familiar had decided to forgo regular restrictions related to known understandings in Aincrad and shot its containment towards the sink. Had the player any strain of sanity left, she would've wondered why it took so long for the creature to have performed such an action, and why its owner was just so bad at looking after the one she had tamed.

For the record, she did, in fact, think of this. But just as much as she had sanity retained, the cells she lost only considered the math calculations involved for producing a projectile fired in that arc. This was only a delay that, in person, seemed like NIGHT had turned her head to watch Fraz do its thing, and then didn't follow up to see it leave. And when she finally decided to look towards the newcomer, the player had already forgotten the basis of interactions.

Forget the help. What did the new entrant want to take again? Also, what was she carrying -- a baby? On Christmas?

(Oh no. She hadn't read the bible before. Wasn't this supposed to take place in a barn or something?)

"Uh-- come in."

So that was all she could afford herself to accomplish -- step away from the door that had already swung open and allow them to enter. NIGHT didn't think twice about who they were nor what they meant to Koga. They could've been a robber wanting to take all of Koga's possessions, and the player would've still allowed it to happen. At best, she could spot a small pair of pointed ears from the bundle, and that was all she could register.

Baby cat Jesus?

--No, she was definitely losing her sanity, at this point.

[Koga 0]

"We could always just try pushing him up the stairs, squeeze him through?" Koga suggested, scratching the back of his head as he stared at the big blob of living goo in the middle of his kitchen. If they popped the water balloon that was Fraz while getting him up the stairs though, Koga couldn't imagine Blue being too happy about it.

NIGHT then suggested trying to get Fraz into the backyard, which wasn't idea were it not for the fact it had the same issue the last one did. "@NIGHT, if Fraz can't fit through the front door, he's not gonna fit through the back either..."

The strange girl from earlier then spoke up, objecting to...well, generally interacting with the slime. Koga just kinda looked at her with a look that said he'd given his last fuck away a while ago. "Look...y'all have been walking around my floor with your shoes on, dirt is the last thing I'm worried about..." Maybe she shouldn't have eaten off the floor, come to think of it... "And, even if it does something, almost everyone in here that I recognize could take down a slime with their eyes closed...Plus, Blue." @Yona

It was just about then that the door creaked open and another player he didn't recognize entered into his abode. Before Koga even got the chance to greet her though, NIGHT took over. Maybe she should host the next party? Would save Koga a lot of trouble...

When @Hirru made his comment on why he may not be invited to such social functions, Koga clapped the man's shoulder. "I dunno who's the worse bad luck charm at this point, you or me?" the man said, before bidding him farewell so he could go talk to the woman who looked like she'd rather stand on a pile of hot coals than be here right now.

Well...nothing that could be done about Frazberry for now...Koga went to turn towards Kasumi to apologize for...well everything when: "Koga! I’m so sorry – I didn’t realise bringing up the whole Bismuth kiss thing could be a problem! I’m sorry!"

'God fucking damn it, Nari'

The man visibly grimaced, his face a perfect visage of pure pain and torment. Koga breathed sharply through his nose before replying. "Its...its fine, Nari! Thank you...so much!"

That girl was going to get him killed. @Nari-Lanreth

Speaking of, Koga looked at @Kasumiwith mixture of guilt, fear, and worry as she just seemed to have frozen in place, a smile affixed to her face like it had been superglued on. "Uh, Kasumi? You there?" Koga said, waving his hand in front of her after a long enough moment for him to start getting concerned about whether or not she was still alive.

"I brought you something."

"Oh," Koga blinked in surprise at the sudden return of life to the girl, as if someone had just forgotten to turn on her heart monitor. "Uhm, thank you," he said as he cautiously accepted the box from her, still uncertain about...well, everything. Was she...mad at him? Upset? Sad? Literally anything? The lack of reaction might've been scarier to Koga than anything else.

'Imeanwe'renotdating,butifI'minterestedinher,andshe'sinterestedinme-waitissheeveninterested?Well,probablynotaftertonight,Ididn'teventhinkaboutthatwhenIdidit,fuckingchristI'manidiot,someonejustkillmenow.'

The thoughts ran through Koga's head at a thousand miles per minute before her remebered something - someone that might just help resurrect this night from the dead. "I got something for you too, actually," he said with a hopeful tone, a hint of nervousness still hiding beneath the surface. "Uhm, I dunno if you'd want him now or later, but if you want, you can stay a bit after everyone leaves?"

Well, at least she could never say he didn't make it easy for her to kill him.

Edited February 26, 2022 by Koga

[Astreya 0]

Astreya couldn't help but to give an almost exasperated sigh toward Nari as the girl seemed to realize what it was that she'd done.  Astreya was the sort to always self-analyze and second-guess most things before taking an action, so to do something like she had without even considering the potential rammifications was basically something completely outside of her realm of understanding.  Still, she seemed to finally get it, and Astreya smiled to her friend, glad to see that she was finally getting it.  "Okay, so-" Astreya began when the girl turned, beginning to shout toward Koga.

Shouting in bringing it up again.  In public.  To everyone.

Then as Nari looked back, a self-satsfied smile at having corrected things, Astreya felt her insides twisting into knots.  She didn't even have the chance to try to correct what the girl had done before realization hit her, and the violet-haired girl came closer to her, trying to get closer to hide away from the entirety of the party.  The dark-haired girl looked down at her new friend, a smile that was somewhere between absolute confusion and bemusement both on her face.  "Just, like, take a few. Come here," she spoke, pulling the girl into a hug, even as Astreya's gaze flickered over those still gathered around.  "Remember how, like, I was saying that social stuff is like combat?  You just like, totally dropped your weapon, sweetie," the girl spoke, patting her gently on the head.

Astreya glanced toward Yona, giving her a small nod to show that she was okay (and so was Nari, if she had been curious) before glancing back over to see how Koga was dealing with Nari's sudden shout across all of creation.

However, despite hearing Koga's words, her gaze was drawn toward Kasumi.  That placid, empty smile that she wore on her features was one that Astreya herself felt familiar with.  It asn't quite the same.  The smile was one that the young woman herself wore to placate others, to defer any potential discomforts about her not being a pleasant person.  For Kasumi it felt new.  Like she was wearing it for the first time but it was in lieu of either not knowing how to respond, or intentionally (or unintentionally) hiding what was going on in her head.  

But much like Astreya's, it was nonetheless a mirror in its lack of sincerity.

The dark-haired woman suddenly felt tired.  As if donning the mask she'd worn all night was leaving her exhausted and without any chance to just...breathe, with all of the chaos, she was starting to wonder if perhaps she should vacate.  

But of course- she couldn't.  She'd presented herself as the party girl, the one who enjoyed all of this and all the fun she was having here.  Absolutely, she couldn't be the first to leave or they would know something was wrong.  Could she use Nari as a scapegoat?  Offer to take her home?  Possibly, but that would depend on how the girl recovered after her duology of embarrassing Koga in front of a girl that he liked and- now that Astreya had seen Kasumi's expression- who liked him in return.  Hirru was still talking with the woman so she couldn't chat with him, and keeping up her mask while playing cards felt like more effort than it was worth.  

Instead she just...held onto Nari as she looked over the room, the friendly, cheerful smile still present as if she were simply just happy with how things were progressing.

[Gaius 0]

"Woah woah, simmer down short stuff." A sudden rag getting yeeted past him holding a hand of cards. "The hell am I supposed to know what you call yourself. Didn't mean to offend you. I wasn't trying to accuse you of muttering out strange things over a gutted lamb. I meant like, yanno Harry Potter or whatever. 'it's pronounced leviosa' you know what, forget it." Turning in his chair, he'd look at some other patrons with almost a plead in his eyes. These chicks were clearly bonkers. One was talking about farting out rainbows, and the other was just shortly before scarfing food off the floor like some sort of animal.

“Um. Do you guys need help?”

"Yes please." Without a filter. "Blue, maybe you need some help with Frazz?" He had to get the hell out of this situation he'd found himself in. Snagging the bottle, but leaving Simmone's creepy cards where they sat. Clapping a hand to Koga's back, it finally dawns on him. "Kasumi? Ey~" Then looking down to Koga, the smell of excitement mixed with concern. Eyes narrow a bit, and with it, a bit of a smirk forms.

"Wow, you really weren't kidding, eh. @Koga here was talking about how excited he was that you were coming. Don't be too hard on him now." Nudging the guy with his shoulder, knowingly setting himself up as wingman.

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari stiffened at the embrace from the girl – entirely unexpected and causing her face to flush heavily – before relaxing into it, simply letting it happen. She wasn’t sure what had brought it all about, but she wasn’t going to complain at this time. After a few seconds, she began to truly wonder what had overcome the girl, and reached up to pat her gently on the head.

“Is…is everything okay, Iris?” Her voice will carry a tone of concern. “Don’t you want to go play BlackerJacky with the others, or maybe…uhm…chat with some people? I mean, if you want to stay here or go get some fresh air, that’d be fine too!”

The last portion of her words came out in a rush, almost in a plea. Nari would give almost anything to escape the place at the time, if only for a short period. A lot had happened – and she’d done something bad, she knew that. Some fresh air might not be a bad idea, but she wasn’t really going anywhere with the girl holding in her place.

Her eyes hovered over the area she could see, eyeing the different players within the room. Many were laughing, or pretending to laugh – except for the one group where they were…tying someone up? ‘What kind of weird, kinky…oh…oh he doesn’t look happy…’

She was sure there was some sort of anti-harassment program in place in the game, and yet…shrugging it off she turned her attention back to Astreya, still wondering what had come over the girl. She knew she wasn’t really one to help with emotional things – usually she was the emotional thing – but she also knew that a friend needed help. And if there was one thing Nari never turned her back on, it was a friend.

@Astreya

Spoiler

Word Count: 297

 

[kali 0]

Her answer comes in the form of the... pet slime? bobbing away from the foyer on its own accord. In a very expressive manner. It partly vanishes behind a door, where she can still see part of it visibly deflating, then hops back into sight moments later, now a quarter of its original size.

The rest disperse, leaving her with the woman she greeted earlier. 

"Uh-- come in."

"Th-thanks!" 

Kali gratefully shuts the door behind her. In a somewhat delayed reaction, she shivers. She didn't realize how cold it had been outside until she had actually taken shelter, and the thought spurs her to free her cat from its quickly dampening entrapment before speaking any further. Immediately, it starts wriggling in her grasp. "Kitty, kitty," she holds its front paws together with one hand and follows its line of sight to the space heater on the opposite wall of the living room. More than the concern of letting a missing cat loose in a house she barely knows, she can't let it warm up too fast. "Stay still."

From her inventory comes a pair of dry towels, but before she wraps her cat in them, Kali thinks for a moment then turns to NIGHT. "Do you have something warm for him to drink?"