Closed | Tonight We're Gonna Party

[portolan]

Who: Balthier portolan, David helpdesk_hero, Bart kid_flash_found, Otto doctopoda, MCU Peter tinglesense, Strange rehandle, Loki ikols, Billy wordiness, Eddie slidesrightoff, Aleks morozova and any +1s I missed
What: A fancy dinner party at Balthier’s house
When: May 14
Where: Balthier’s House
Entry
Living Room
Kitchen
// generally beautifully restored historic late 1800s building in muted green and gold accents with antique furniture. pls compliment or insult him //
Content Warnings: none yet



[ The antique table has both leaves in it, extending from the dining room into the living room with twelve chairs around it. It's got a stately tablecloth and pale gold napkins. All the places are set with white china trimmed in gold, except one, which is green and gold and clearly for Loki, with a matching cup. There are name cards. There's a seating chart. The far wall of the dining room sports a buffet laden with stunning food in matching dishes, and the kitchen counter serves as a bar with a ridiculous amount of nice wine and alcohol.

The furniture in the living room has been rearranged to accommodate the table. The windows and doors are open to create a breeze and the back porch has additional seating. If people are looking for privacy, they can disappear to the basement, which is just a storage room, bathroom, and laundry unit, or upstairs where there is a loft study, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. One is locked. There are no bathrooms on the ground floor so excuses abound.

There’s also Romantic piano music playing on an honest-to-God gramophone. The whole house is restored original wood, antique furniture, old books, and nice art. Balthier is extremely pleased with his ship-like house and happy to finally show it off. He also asked Strange to enchant it to make it more or less metaproof for the evening.

TLDR:
-There will be a fine meal and plenty of alcohol
-Balthier will be giving Loki poison as condiments at some point (don’t @ him David and Billy) ((definitely @ him))
-There’s music if anyone wants to dance
-There are private places to slip into
-The house has been metaproofed to some extent by Stephen but Balthier will frown upon breaking his stuff
-Chaos pls

Feel free to thread jack! Mark things you don’t want threadjacked ]

Comments

1

[kid_flash_found]

Bart spots him and decides a friendly ambush of a hug is in order. Mostly because he's able to not be too worried about David getting a migraine from contact anymore.

"You need to calm down. Should I get you a glass of wine? Maybe something stronger? I promise you've done amazing. You always do."

He worried about his best friends sometimes. And sometimes what it said about him. But right now, well, he just wanted to be there for his friend.

[helpdesk_hero]

David of course bursts out laughing at the hug. He loves it so much, that Bart is free with his affection, and he doesn't feel so stranded by it either.

"I'm going to pass on wine," he promises Bart. "though I don't doubt Balthier will make me drink something too. Thank you for your faith though. This was somehow harder than the Thanksgiving thing."

[kid_flash_found]

"Thanksgiving has a pretty set menu, just a lot of variations," Bart points out. "I would have offered to help if you wanted."

He knows what it's like to always be second-guessing. He has his own insecurities, and David will call him on it quickly enough. "So far the stuff I've tried is at least as good as some of the society events I went to with Aunt Joan in Denver. And I doubt you're going to run out of mixers half-way through because everyone wants a drink in their hand to schmooze, but nobody wants to risk getting drunk at altitude."

[helpdesk_hero]

"I didn't want help for this," David points out. But for that day he'd taken a ton of it.

The drinks, though, he shrugs over. That was Balthier's work and he didn't care of people had to have water. He preferred that at parties anyway.

"So, are you enjoying yourself so far?"

[kid_flash_found]

"I may have to spend some serious time in the library. I think I saw at least a dozen titles I don't know," Bart said, grinning. "It certainly is a nice place. And the company isn't half-bad."

That last is an understatement. He might have wished he had more people his age, but...well, there's always that counter of what age that actually is.

[helpdesk_hero]

"Yeah, he's trotted out things even I don't know," he says with a grin. So much stupid fondness for his love. He felt like he has found a match he could keep after all.

"Are you saying I"m charming?"

[kid_flash_found]

"I know you're charming, I bet even your boyfriend would agree," Bart says, giving him a playful jab to the shoulder. "And you forgot talented, considerate, and quite a few other descriptors."

[helpdesk_hero]

"And now you're sounding like said boyfriend," David points out with a grin.

He was spoiled by that love.

"It's like Damian, but better."

[kid_flash_found]

That also worries Bart a little, because he remembers how bad the crash was when Damian vanished.

"Gods, then you better keep him close. Wouldn't want to drag you out of that hole if he disappeared.

"Besides, he seems good for you."

[helpdesk_hero]

Keep him close. David can't imagine anything else ever happening. But he smiles because he gets that it just means his friend is concerned for him.

"Fate owes me, Bart. And this is my prize. Or else I'll face those goddesses myself and bring them down to a mortal level."

[kid_flash_found]

"They really, really do," Bart agrees, and gives his friend another squeeze. "And if you need help, I'll be right there with you."

[helpdesk_hero]

"I'm quite happy to know I won't need that help. But glad to know it's there."

Oh but those were words he was going to eat soon.

[kid_flash_found]

"I gotta say, it's a good look on you. Even if the domesticity sometimes has a mild neurotic edge when it comes to feeling prepared." He's mostly teasing with the last. David always frets a little about those kinds of things.

"I probably ought to get you and Balthier some window-boxes now that the herbs and some of the early vegetables are coming in. A belated housewarming gift."

[helpdesk_hero]

"I don't live here," David reminds Bart. "I'm a guest like you, even while I host. But yes, you could get him something like that."

[kid_flash_found]

"Well, I meant if you have a place in your apartment, too. I know you prefer fresh when possible, and at least you should be able to do some during the warmer months." Winters in the Pacific Northwest, while not always snowy, were still pretty fierce.

"By the way, you have to tell me if this world has the tree octopi."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Oh god I hope it doesn't, that was so stupid," David laughs. Still he nods to Bart. The guy has done a lot to calm him.

"I will happily take herbs."

[kid_flash_found]

"Oh, come on, land octopuses would be awesome." They can have this argument about nothing of consequence. "It's not like some littoral species don't spend a fair bit of time out of the water."

[helpdesk_hero]

"They also would be evolutionarily unlikely," David countered.

"And a tree seems a poor place to be to stay properly hydrated."

[kid_flash_found]

"Tell that to the hundreds of species of rainforest tree frogs."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Rainforests are more likely than coniferous forests to have plants to catch and store water for them," David offers just as quickly."

[kid_flash_found]

"It's a rainforest here, too. Just a temperate one."

[helpdesk_hero]

David rolls his eyes.

"Yes, and that is based on rainfall quantas, while octopuses require more than mere rain. Frogs are full on amphibious and can handle some degree of drying out when they have means to rehydrate. An octopus has far shorter windows."

[kid_flash_found]

"But it would still be a cool critter," Bart protests. "I mean, the only real drawback to cephalopod anatomy is the part where brain size restricts throat size. They're already intelligent tool-users and problem-solvers."

[helpdesk_hero]

"I will concede coolness factor," David allows. "And that maybe octopuses deserve tree houses with little pools."

[kid_flash_found]

"I'm still working on sprucing up the chicken mansions. I guess I'll leave the ones for octopuses for you."