[OP-F24] Hawaiian Christmas

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar’s first guest arrived at sunrise. He had told Joaquin to come at noon but found himself awoken by a series of rhythmic knocks instead. He stepped onto his deck, which had a perfect view of the front of the property, and looked over the railing. Sure enough, Joaquin was there.

“You’re late,” he grumbled sarcastically.

“Mornin’, Sunshine,” Joaquin called back.

“Gimme a second.”

Settling with a comfortable grey sweatsuit, he quickly changed and marched downstairs. His friend peered through the glass of the door, awaiting his grand welcome. It would not come, however, as Morningstar took a detour to the kitchen, where he lit the stove. He set down a kettle upon it and began to boil water. Then, he finally answered the door.

“It’s not even seven,” Morningstar rolled his eyes, leading the way to the living room.

“No? Aw, well. I’m here and at your disposal.”

“Does that mean I can get rid of you?”

“It means I’ll happily put up decorations for you.”

“Good. Tea?”

“Absolutely.”

Morningstar disappeared into the kitchen while Joaquin looked over the ornaments and such that had been laid out across the table. A tree sat in the corner of the room, right next to the fireplace. Joaquin thought it strange that a beach house had a fireplace. Maybe it was for decoration.

When he returned, Morningstar placed a ceramic teapot and two floral cups next to the variety of trinkets. Then, maintaining simplicity in his descriptions, he laid out the plan.

By lunch, the bulk of preparations had been completed. Strings of festive lights had been hung around the property. Both the inside of the house and the grounds that surrounded it had been tidied and decorated to fit the theme of the event. Palm trees had been fixed up with ornaments and lights, the biggest of them all topped with a beautiful, bright star (it took the two of them combined and a lot of climbing to get it up there). Rackets sat in a basket to the side of the tennis court, welcoming any guests that felt like a casual match. Classic Christmas tunes played in the background as well.

After a few more hours, another helpful hand came by. Morningstar’s favourite bartender, Dante, had agreed to close up shop for the day and work at the freshly built drink bar. The crew had changed into new outfits that screamed both Christmas and tropical vacation. Morningstar’s Hawaiian shirt was green with dozens of tiny Santa Claus’ riding on the backs of dolphins.

The addition of a buffet-style food table was difficult and expensive to pull off but they knew a guy. The combination of holiday classics and tropical favourites was fitting, albeit strange.

Not long after, familiar faces began to stumble in. Players whom he had met throughout the span of his travels showed up, to his surprise. The trio that was Star, Joaquin, and Dante greeted them separately as they stepped off of the beaten forest path and onto the sands of the beach property.

"Welcome," Morningstar repeated to each newcomer, "and Merry Christmas."

[ lv. 44  ->   l. 33 / p. 11 ] MORNINGSTAR | HP: 760/760 | EN: 108/108 | DMG: 23 | ACC: 4 | MIT: 122 | EVA: 1 | LD: 6 | AA: 1 | VO: 125 | STK: 40/24 | BH: 25 | Stealth Rating: -5   Hide contents notes.     Hide contents equipped soulcursed blade VO II, AA I, STK I armor of fallen radiance  MIT III sapphire ACC III, EVA I battle-ready inventory x1 teleport crystal skills.   Hide contents mod count: 3/5 2HSS | RANK 5/5 precision, stamina, ferocity shift: tech HEAVY ARMOR | RANK 5/5 impetus, iron skin COMBAT MASTERY: DMG | RANK 3/3 SEARCHING | RANK 5/5 night vision, detect BATTLE HEALING | RANK 3/5 ENERGIST CHARGE extra SURVIVAL FORGOTTEN KING'S AUTHORITY LADY LUCK buffs.   Hide contents statue n/a consumables  n/a paragon Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD arts.   Hide contents en cost matches multiplier unless stated otherwise. shift underlined. ST | x12 -> x15 | x20 AOE | x11 -> x14 TECH-A | x16 | STUN | 13EN TECH-B | x16 | DELAY TECH-D | x16 | SHATTER misc.   Hide contents Rested | -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat. Clean | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down). Filling | Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30. Tasty | Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. Relaxed | Increases out-of-combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Basic Training | +5% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post. gathering n/a

---

Invitation

SAO Tennis Rules

Ambience Music

Open to all players!

Edited December 1, 2023 by Morningstar

[Yona 0]

                  So what if it was in December? Yona hadn't been to a beach party in YEARS. Also, it sounded really fun, so there was no way she was gonna miss this. The fun, the sun, the beach, the drinks...and the sweets. Sweets of multiple kinds...sweets for the mouth and sweets for the eyes...

               She wasted no time in getting herself ready, then she made her way to the teleport plaza, where she would proceed to teleport to the twenty-fourth floor, where, hopefully, a really good and fun time awaited her.

 

                           Yona took the trip there in stride. She'd been waiting for a day like this to come, and hopefully, maybe this time she'd actually have a great time at the party without some kind of shenanigans mucking up her day. When greeted by Morningstar, the host of the event, she had her left hand on her hip, and her right hand spread out whilst her arm directed it downward diagonally. Her smug, confident grin didn't show any signs of fading. "Merry Christmas to you too, Morningstar." She began. "It's about time I attended a beach party, anyway...wait, am I first?" She observed, noticing that there weren't many people here at the moment. Where was all the eye candy? Morningstar nearly counted, but there was something odd about his attire. She couldn't blame him for the effort in merging two aesthetics together, though, so she'd let the goofy shirt slide.

 

Yona's attire:

Spoiler

 

Stats and Equipment:

Spoiler

Level: 15

 

HP: 300

Energy: 48

Base Damage: 15(CS R5[7], CM: Damage[6], Athletics[1])

Mitigation: 27(Moonsliver Veil[12], Cloth Armor Rank 3[15])

Accuracy: 1(Resplendent Falchion)

Evasion: 2(Moonsliver Veil)

Loot Die: 3(Thuban's Eye)

 

 

Equipment:

[T2]Resplendent Falchion(Curved Sword, Accuracy, Bleed, Paralyze)

[T2]Moonsliver Veil(Cloth Armor, 1 MIT, 2 EVA)

[T1]Thuban's eye(Trinket, 3 LD)

 

 

Consumables:

Teleport Crystal x1

Starter Healing Potion(Restores 50 HP) x3

 

 

Skills:

Curved Sword Rank 5(30 SP)

Cloth Armor Rank 3(14 SP)

Combat Mastery: Damage(13 SP)

 

 

Mods:

Athletics(4 SP)

 

[Freyd 0]

"Huh.  Nice spot," Freyd admitted to himself aloud, having suddenly appeared at the threshold of Morningstar's stunning tropical getaway.  Yet the man standing there in no way fit the standard mold of expectations for the brooding, edgelord otherwise referred to as The Whisper in Shadows.  Instead, clad in little more than an open red Hawaiian shirt with white palm tree print, black shorts and a pair and well-worn sandals, it was hard to believe him to be the same person.  Even the constant pallor of his skin had started to darken after several similarly relaxing forays.  Who knew that he could look so... normal?

Knuckles rapped on the door jamb, the leaves already swung open wide to receive what was sure to be an abundant throng of guests.  Party on a beautiful, scenic beach on one of Aincrad's most pleasant and accommodating floors?  Yeah, that wasn't going to be a hard sell.  That the host was a genuinely likeable and decent fellow only made it that much better.  

"Thanks for the invite, Morning'," Freyd continued while craning his head around to survey the fullness of the scene.  "I thought I'd come out early to help with the setup, but you seem to have everything already done."  A few quick taps across spontaneously appearing translucent screens summoned a pair of coolers into existence.  "Didn't want to be rude and come empty handed," he explained to the others already gathered in the house.  Flipping open the lids revealed a panoply of beverages chilling on a crackling bed of  steaming ice.  It wouldn't last long in this heat, but the drinks weren't expected to linger either.  Snaring a bottle for himself, Freyd snapped the wax seal open and took a deep swig before raising the bottle in appreciation to their host.  "Merry Christmas," he returned, joining the others and urging them to partake.

"Hopefully, some of our friends from the recent raid will be joining us as well," came a mirthful chuckle.  "It would do us good to be seeing each other in places and ways that don't carry the imminent risk of death.  And, thank you so much for opening your home to us," he added, raising his drink to reinforce his praise and toast.  "It's very kind of you to host." 

***

Freyd | HP: 1180/1180 | EN: 152/152 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 103 | EVA: 2 | ACC: 4 | BH: 64 | LD: 5 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8

Spoiler

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadow
Level: 33
Paragon Level: 123
HP: 1180/1180
EN: 152/152

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 103
Evasion: 2
Accuracy: 4
Battle Healing: 64
Loot Dice: 5
FLN: 16
HLY: 16
REC: 8

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Samael's Pride | T4 MA | FLN 2 | HLY 2
Armor: Fallen Angel Garb | T4 LA | MIT 2 | REC 2
Misc: Fight O'er Flight (ACC 2 | EVA 2)

Combat Mastery: Damage R3
Combat Shift: AOE
Familiar Skill: Grappling Familiar
Custom Skill:


Skills:
Martial Arts R5
Battle Healing R5
Light Armor R5
Searching R4
Charge
Energist
Quick Change
Extended Mod Limit
Extended Weight Limit
Fighting Spirit
Howl

Active Mods:
Night Vision
Tracking
Meticulous
Emergency Recovery
Untraceable
Detect

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Ferocity
Precision
Resolve
Reveal
Stamina
Focused Howl

Active Extra Skills:
Disguise
Survival
Meditation
Forgotten King’s Authority

Inactive Extra Skills:
Frozen Hide
Brawler
Photosynthesize
Hiding R2

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystals x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+10% HP) x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+10% HP) x7
Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable) x1
Rhino's Horn (Reusable) x1
Hmr.Pk: Hope's Covenant - Resolve +4 (T4 Demonic Weapon (MA) - AA, Phase, Frostbite, VO) x1
EWL: The Thing Behind All Lies (T4 Demonic MA, AA, Blight, Static, Para.Ven (Off)) x1
EWL: Dagan Crystal-B (Reusable) x1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +2 Fishing EXP per attempt
Practiced Angler: +2 Fishing EXP per attempt, addition +1 LD/CD to fishing attempts
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Tanos Statue: +25 Mitigation for a thread.

Wedding Ring:

Fishing: Level 4 | 461XP

 

[Jevi 0]

Before her body could become whole again, while the pixels and data that made up her avatar were still transferring over from the mountainous fifteenth floor, she could smell the salt of the ocean. A warm, summers breeze greeted her the  tingling feeling starting at her feet and traveling up to her head, gently brushing her loosely tied up hair in the process. Her smile curled as the corners of her lips pulled into her cheeks. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon in December. The perfect way to celebrate the holiday season. 

Trip to the shore were a semi-normal thing for Jevi and her family when she was younger. As it was for everyone else who lived in her area. Cheap, day vacations spent swimming in the ocean and playing in the sand. Of course, those days vanished when she grew older. It wasn't the same traveling to the beach all alone. And while she may have spoken ill of soaking up the sun and feeling the hot sand underneath the soles of her feet, it was something she missed dearly. So when a server wide invitation to celebrate the Christmas season at Morningstar's beach house - whoever that was - she knew she could not pass up the opportunity. 

With a top that covered most of her torso - save for her midriff - a typical pair of bikini bottoms with a around her hips, and a loose fitting kimono-like robe that she wore off of the shoulders, Jevi walked along the shores of Raitoboru Bay until she arrived at her destination. A three story cottage, painted in coral and teal blue to give it a tropical aesthetic, sat nestled between the gentle blue wave s and tall palm trees decorated in a lively manner for the occasion. There weren't many in attendance, none that she was familiar with.. of course. Show up early, and you're stuck making small talk with strangers. She would sigh to herself, guess there's really no other way to make friends.

A younger man with long, blonde hair greeted others as they arrived.. must be the host of the party- Morningstar. Waiting for a free moment, she would introduce herself. "Hey, Happy Holidays. I'm Jevi. I don't think we've met before" she would politely extend a hand in greeting, a newly found calm smile on her face. "Beautiful place, prime real estate for sure." 

Jevi | HP: 680/680 | EN: 82/82 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 78 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 2 | BH: 30 | KEEN: 2 | PARA | REC: 4
 

Spoiler

Jevi,
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 5
HP: 700/700
EN: 84/84

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 78
Accuracy: 2
Evasion: 3
Battle Healing: 29
Keen: 2
Rec: 4
PARA

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Maelstrom Bracers -  Keen | Keen | Para
Armor: Brawler's Respite - Mit | Mit | Recovery
Trinket: Fancy Footwork - Eva | Eva | Eva

Skills:
Combat Mastery: Damage R3
Specialization: AoE
Martial Arts R5
Light Armor R5
Fighting Spirit
Lock Picking R3
Battle Healing R4

Active Mods:
Meticulous

Addons:
Stamina x
Precision x
Ferocity x
Resolve x
Dismantling

Active Extra Skills:
Survival 

Buffs: 
Rested | -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20%
Multipurpose | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll    
Relaxed | Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.    
Meticulous | +1 CD when crafting in one’s workshop.
Working | +2 EXP per crafting attempt
Forager | +2 Gathering EXP per gathering attempt    

 

[Demian 0]

between his orders at the cintamani and the makeshift kitchen he'd dedicated himself to running, there was always that lull during the holidays where nothing much needed to be done. players were taking the time off their routines to spend it with their friends (or families) instead.

(unless you were a certain alchemist still sending out 'personal' requests to do. overtime work – he would pretend he didn't see those.)

by this time a few years ago, demian himself would've had his network to turn towards, too. but between the incidents, there were many, many reasons why he wasn't able to turn to his closest for 'joy and comfort' any more. off his paper calendar, he'd just marked out another period of time when mostima wouldn't be around [for company. entertainment. to stave off his angst]. another year he would have to 'concede' 'the betterment' of his brother in their battle. the man only soured at the brief attempt to imagine emmett welcoming mostima into their guildhouse, having a feast, exchanging presents and unwrapping gifts from others…

fuck. demian might've been able to staunch the glares from this year too, if it wasn't for his own debacle at that stupid ceremony a few months ago up in ronbaru. but one brief separation from his best friend wasn't going to be enough to keep him down. an advert from one of the front liners had gone up recently about one christmas party or another.

'by the beach'? festive.

all demian cared about was that it sounded like a good time to not be his 'sad self' for a change. to be someone else.

like he always was.

so that's what he put himself to doing, strolling out on the twenty-fourth despite the winter gear. he'd changed during the walk over, trying not to catch passerbys' attention – the last thing he'd wanted was to be caught meandering by someone he usually knew who would've recognized him and struck up conversation. and the beach? private. vast, was his first thought, rolling up to the estate, surveying those in attendance. he'd lowered his shades just to get a better view – and for those who spotted him, he was just a random player with slightly discolored skin in flip-flops and cerise hawaiian swimming trunks.

from his assessment alone… no one he personally knew, and no one who would know him. with any luck.

demian raised a hand from the back of the crowd, noting how most of the others had gone straight towards the host to speak to him. the man drawled out a lazy "hey," as if it would've gotten his target's attention – but even if it didn't he would've made sure to join in to corner the man in a cheeky gag. "morningstar, isn't it? thanks for the invitation and all that. now, not to get in your way or anything, but by chance do you have a towel or a beach mat i could borrow? seems like a good time to be working on my tan or something."

Demian | L16. | HP: 320/320 | EN: 60/60 | DMG: 16 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | BH: 6 | LD: 3  Spoiler equipped Torres Special DMG III Enduring Stand MIT (12), REGEN (4) bauble. ACC II, EVA I br-inventory Teleport Crystal (1) Ordsea Crystal-B | FREE ACTION: +5 HATE/THREAD Fruit Juice (5) | [23/10/20] +10% HP RECOVERY Fruit Juice (5) | [23/10/20] +10% HP RECOVERY Fruit Juice (5) | [23/10/20] +10% HP RECOVERY skills Spoiler mods: 0/5 STRAIGHT SWORD R5 aoe-shift. stamina, precision, ferocity COMBAT MASTERY DMG R3 BATTLE-HEALING R2 ENERGIST data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== buffs Spoiler Berry Crumb Bars | LD III | [19/04/20]  crème brûlée. | TIERLESS DESSERT | ACC II smores. | TIERLESS DESSERT | EVA II yaki hatahata. | TIER 1 MEAL | MIT III data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== sword arts Spoiler ST | x12 -> x15 | x20 AOE | x15 -> x18 TECH-A | x12 | STUN | 13EN TECH-B | x12 | DELAY TECH-F | x8 | AOE STUN  data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

[Koga 0]

k o g a the elder wolf Spoiler notes: happy chrysler? Koga, Lvl 33/55 | HP: 920 | EN: 126 | DMG: 23 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | FALN: 16 | VD: 101 | B.HEALING: 50/100 equipped battle-ready inventory Tsuki no Hikari | Demonic T4 Katana [ CRSD // FALN II // BRN ] Shuku-ro Coat | Demonic T4 Light Armor [ EVA II // VAMP-D. II ] lupine. | Demonic T4 Trinket [ ACC III // EVA ] none skills Spoiler | UTILITY Gathering: Fishing I | Successfully forage for materials on a LD 14+ | 0/49 EXP  Searching III | +1 LD per rank. +1 to Stealth Detection per rank. | 14 SP Night Vision | Ignores any penalties from low light or darkness. Negates the bonus Stealth Rating from low light or darkness. | 3 SP | COMBAT Combat Shift: Single Target | For the following Sword Arts, +3 to multipliers and +2 to EN cost; ST-I, ST-II, ST-B. No other Shifts may be taken. | 10 SP Mastery: Damage III | Gain 1 * Tier Damage per rank | 13 SP Battle Healing V | Recover 5% (rounded down) of your maximum HP at the start of your turn | 30 SP Emergency Recovery | When non-fatal damage would leave you with 25% or less of your maximum HP, recover 10% of your maximum HP after the attack resolves. Effect cannot occur more than once per thread.  When activated if the player has lower than 10 energy remaining, simply reduce the player's energy to 0. | 6 SP EN Cost: 10 Energist | Increase Base Energy by 5 * Tier | 8 SP Charge | Perform a single attack/Sword Art with +5 base damage. Charge attacks have a -1 Accuracy debuff and cannot be affected by any auto-hit effects. | 10 SP Cooldown: 3 Posts Howl | Adds +2 Hate each against up to 4 targets. | 10 SP EN Cost: 2, Cooldown: 2 posts | WEAPON Katana V | +7 DMG when equipped with a Katana | 30 SP Stamina | Reduces the energy of all Katana attacks by 2 EN | 4 SP Precision | Gain +1 ACC. | 2 SP Ferocity | +2 DMG when using Katana Sword Arts | 4 SP Martial Arts I | +3 DMG when equipped with a Martial Arts weapons | 4 SP | ARMOR Light Armor V | +30 MIT when equipped with Light Armor, -2 Stealth | 30 SP Meticulous | +1 DMG when equipped with Light Armor | 4 SP Resolve | +1 ACC and +10 * Tier HP when equipped with Light Armor | 6 SP | EXTRAS Familiar Master: Rending | You and your familiar attack in tandem, applying Rend [7*tier unmitigatable damage] to the target that lasts for two turns. | 10 SP Cooldown: 5 Turns Survival | Increases Healing effects received from all sources by 10%. Grants immunity to all damage dealing environmental attacks/effects. | 0 SP Parry | Apply the energy cost upon proc, not activation. Reduces the final damage of the next successful attack against you by 50% (rounded down) and negates stun/paralysis effects of that attack. If hit by multiple attacks, only apply parry to the first attack against you. Parry lasts for three turns. Cooldown starts when the player activates the Skill. If the player is hit when using Parry, the cooldown is reset to 3 turns. | 10 SP 9 EN, Cooldown: 3 Turns Vengeful Riposte | A successful Parry also returns 50% (rounded down) of the raw damage that would be dealt to you back to your opponent. The reflected damage can be mitigated by the opponent. | 6 SP Cooldown: 4 Turns Justified Riposte | A successful Parry also stuns the target for 1 turn. | 5 SP Cooldown: 4 Turns Frozen Hide | As a free action, apply one slot of Frost Aura and one slot of Frost Thorns equal to your tier to yourself until the start of your next turn. | 0 SP 5 EN, Cooldown: 4 Turns buffs Spoiler | PARAGON REWARDS Lv. 5 | Earn Col equivalent to 15% of player’s EXP earned in thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to Looting | BUFFS <<Well Rested>> | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat. <<Squeaky Clean>> | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down). <<Filling>> | Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. <<Item Stash>> | +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot <<Tasty>> | Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. <<Relaxed>> | Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. <<Multipurpose>> | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll. <<Practiced Angler>> | +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.

Koga watched from the sandy beach with a curious brow lifted, boots in the sand and soaking wet as Freyd passed by him in nothing but swim trunks, knocked on a door of what probably would've equated to a million dollar beach house back in the real world, and entered. Soon after, Jevi, whom Koga remembered from his Christmas party last year (or was it the year before?) followed suit. And then another person whom Koga didn't recognize.

Was there...an event going on? Koga vaguely recognized the man who'd answered the door each time. He'd seen him at raids, other celebratory events, but Koga couldn't recall having ever interacted with the man. Was Koga invited? Probably not, and Koga should just go home. Besides, all the apparent attendees had been dressed for the beach where as Koga...He might as well have been doing his best Davy Jones impression, soaked through his clothing and dragging a giant squid through the sand behind him. Still curiousity got the better of him...and he could at least make some a lot of calimari?

Knocking on the door with a couple more confident than he felt rasps, Koga stood, knees shaking at his sudden boldness for potentially interrupting a private event. The door swung open and Koga grinned (a little too forcefully). "Hey uh...hope I'm not interrupting anything? I brought food?" The man lifted the slimy tentacle of the still living kraken impersonator he'd dragged to the man's front door.

Killing monsters, no problem. Looking at community notice boards or socializing? God forbid.

Edited December 11, 2023 by Koga

[Morningstar 0]

It was a smaller crew than he had anticipated. Nonetheless, he was pleased to see them all—some of which he hadn’t encountered in ages. Yona, the fair-skinned brunette that he only seemed to run into at parties, arrived as instructed: dressed for a warm Christmas.

He tilted his head slightly, gesturing to the bartender who had finished setting up. “Technically, I think Dante was first,” he corrected, half-joking. “Thanks for coming. The turnout might not be huge, I admit. My one weakness is advertising.” He paused and then, with a smile, added, “Don’t let me keep you from the beach. Enjoy it and make yourself at home.”

Freyd came bearing gifts, arriving promptly after Yona. Morningstar followed the Whisper’s lead, scooping up a cold drink and cracking it open. “Merry Christmas, good sir. Here’s to matching shirts,” their bottles clanged in cheers. “Glad you could be here. And, don’t assume my house doesn’t carry the imminent risk of death. Slime farm after a few of these gets dangerous,” he jested, raising his drink.

The swig from his bottle was ice cold and refreshing. Despite that, there was a warmness in his eyes as he scanned the sandy beach. A year ago, he wouldn’t have had half of the turnout he did now. Two years ago, he might not have even bothered trying. 

Another joined them as soon as he had finished the thought. She introduced herself as Jevi and while he thought he recognized her, he could not pinpoint where from. A past life, maybe, he thought, perfectly unserious. “Good to meet you. I’m Morningstar,” he met her hand gently. “Thanks, I’m lucky to have it. Won it in—ah, well, it’s a long story for another time. Anyway, drinks are with the guy in the red shirt over there,” he pointed to Freyd, “or at the bar. Anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.”

He and Demian had never officially met; however, Morningstar had purchased from his shop in the past. He found it unlikely that the cook would recognize him. Historically, shopkeepers tended not to. As a sometimes-appraiser, he understood perfectly well. He hadn’t initially noticed Demian join them. Must’ve missed him talking to someone else, he thought. The cook seemed tired. Either that or he’d pre-gamed the party, which he felt had not been the case.

“Hey,” he greeted the man, “welcome, welcome. Towels are up by the pool. Didn’t want to get sand all over them. It’s up the stairs, right outside the house.”

Out of all the guests that had arrived, the most surprising were the giant squid and the pirate-looking fellow that carried him. They stood for a moment, only staring at each other, before Morningstar finally responded. He returned the grin. “Nothing to interrupt; my beach is everyone’s beach. Bring the big fella up to the bar and we’ll get it cooked up for you.”

He added, “Name’s Morningstar. I’d shake your hand but, well, you know.”

°❆⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ °❆⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ °❆⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 
 

With the party finally coming together, Morningstar was content. Dante was pleased to get out of the Town of Beginnings, a rare occurrence for the bartender. Joaquin was busy flirting up a storm with a stranger who was clearly uninterested. Even a few of his new Cleric friends had found the time to stop by. Gathered around in a circle of beach chairs were four guildmates. Willow, her red hair tied up in a bun, waved him over. He obliged and with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his drink, he found his way to them. "I see you've found my favorite chairs," he said.

"Merry Christmas, Morningstar," the older gentleman, Greymore smiled politely. He was followed by best wishes from the rest of the group. 

"I'm honestly surprised to see you all here. I expected you'd be busy," Star admitted, sipping from his bottle.

"Nonsense," Greymore followed, "we wouldn't have missed this for the world."

Morningstar sat and they chatted a while longer. The conversation between the five of them was as free flowing as it had ever been. Actually, he wasn't sure he had ever talked to some of them outside of their business-related endeavors. Willow laughed harder than he had ever seen and Renflow, surprisingly, wasn't the least bit stuck-up.

Eventually, he took his leave. Upon noticing that his prized tennis court continued to go untouched, he made an announcement.

"Tennis! Singles or doubles! First come, first serve! Who's playing?"

[Jevi 0]

The brunette smiled in return to @Morningstar's warm greeting, "Maybe, I would like to hear that story. Mostly to find out where to sign up for those kind of contests. But yeah, maybe later."  Sensing the nonexistent line of players - save for one @Koga and his interesting choice in date - lining up to greet Morningstar, Jevi would step out of the way and walk towards the party proper. "If I knew we could bring a plus one, I would have found a date." the woman snarkily said to Koga as she passed, gesturing her head towards the squirming mass of wet tentacle with sand clinging to its body. 

She was much earlier to this party than she had anticipated. Not many people were here, and the women were definitely outnumbered. The only other girl at the party, whom she vaguely recognized, was a long-haired brunette who also seemed to have just arrived shortly before her. With a polite wave, Jevi stepped up to her as their paths crossed. "Hey, you were on that skyship party, weren't you?" she asked as she turned, talking a couple of backwards steps in the direction of her destination, "I'm Jevi, I'm going to grab a drink, but we can chat in a bit, yeah?"  @Yona

First on her agenda, a drink. Morningstar gave her choices, but decided against the walk out to the NPC manned bar. If she was trying get better at socializing with actual people, she figured it would be better to get a drink from an actual person. Making her way over to the 'guy in the red shirt', she would lazily point a finger towards the cooler at his feet. "I'm told you're the one to talk to for a drink." Leaning over, she would open the top to the cooler and pull a bottle out by the neck, small cubes of ice dripping back into the bath of water in the container. "Thanks."  Popping the seal off of the bottle, she would take a sip. Never realized how refreshing a cold drink on a hot, Christmas day would feel. "I probably should have brought something too.. but, I don't really know Morningstar.. and I really didn't think of it. I'm Jevi, by the way, I don't think we've met."  ( @Freyd )

---

A short while later, probably after another drink and some conversation, Jevi found laying on a reclined chair that faced out towards the water. It was amazing how, aside from the few islands in the distance that made up other areas of the floor, you really could not tell where the floor ended. It gave off the illusion of the vast, seemingly endless, ocean. It was.. peaceful, in the moment at least. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she adjusted her legs to sit upright, staring outwards. 

From behind her, she heard the general summons of their host, requesting an opponent for a tennis match. Jevi had never played tennis, never even had the thought of it. Was one of the sports she honestly forgot about at times. However, something in the moment.. maybe it was this elevated sense of peace and camaraderie she was feeling, or the drinks that only had an effect in her imagination, put her on her feet.

"Alright, I'm game!"

She would step onto the court, stepping out of the sandals that she wore as she picked up a racket. Turning the thing in her hands, she got a feel for the handle.. though by the angle she held it, one could tell she was clueless. But she couldn't let Morningstar know that, she needed to put on her poker face. 

"So, who serves first?"