nexus_sages | The Samhain Ball - Come as You Aren't

The Samhain Ball - Come as You Aren't

A woman strides through the Nexus, garbed in royal finery of a distinctly Elizabethan style. In the crook of her arm, she carries an ebony scepter shod and capped in silver. There may be something familiar about her confident bearing, her angular features, her mismatched eyes. When she pauses to speak, the cadence of her words might spark recognition--is this Schön?!

"People of the Nexus, friends, in the world from which I hail we stand on the cusp of a special day, a harvest-fest when the walls between worlds grow thin, when masks and costumes are worn to frighten away the wicked spirits--or to invite them in on more congenial terms. So on this day, I invite you, each and every one of you, to join me in a revel to bid farewell to Summer, and welcome with fire and song the coming dark! Join me, won't you?" Letting her gaze sweep the crowd, she raps the heel of her scepter once against something solid, vanishing in a flash and leaving a sparkling trail for the curious to follow.

A cool wind herds dry, crackling leaves through the gathering gloom. On the cusp between the parklands and the residential district, darkness and cloudy skies have been slowly coalescing for days around a stately house of Gothic style, ivy-encrusted and showing its age somewhat. A square tower stands vigil over the entryway, tall windows overlooking the flagstone drive looping around a fountain gone dry. The house’s angular wings stretch to either side, the windows dark save for occasional glints and gleams of colored lights bobbing within. A glow does creep over the line of the roof, however, and the faint throb of distant music hint at something happening behind the house. The door stands open, a silent invitation to every brave soul who passes by.

((Happy Halloween! Enjoy the festivities. All LOLs are optional. Threadhopping is encouraged. Backtagging is forever, so don’t worry about missing out: we’ll still be here when you get back from your more mundane ghosties and goblins.))

Playlist
Visualosity
The Entrance
The Ballroom
The Banquet
The Bonfire
The Corn Maze
Dark Corners
Costume Icon Requests
The Photo Booth

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It would offer a great deal of enlightenment, but eventually Viatorus would evolve narrative into essay writing. Verity should be thankful that's not the case.

Simple a request as that might be, the thought that he's not sure his tiny streak of family pride could allow that does flitter past. It gets a second of consideration and then he nods. "Alright. I'll try."

It's the confidence she carries herself with that throws him. She's told him before that she didn't have friends growing up, but she simply must have gotten dozens of them to be so sure about how to be friends. Whereas Verity can only see the truth, his understanding of all things not backed by fact tends towards romanticism. And why wouldn't it be? He spends more time in people's dreams than talking to them.

"Not yet," he mutters, mostly because it's the only thing he can think to say about a lot of that. He wants to both thank her and warn her away. Instead, he pushes conflicting thoughts aside. "Is there some sort of quiz we should do?"

Would there be footnotes or a works cited page at the end? Will she be expected to proofread and edit his grammar? Because that would really be going too far.

They can talk and not nudge against his family pride in painful ways. If he doesn't want to blow off steam, he can tell her stories. Whatever he wants to talk about will be fine. She just wants him to want to talk to her about the things going on in his life. He's been so loving and patient with her so far. It's long past time she returns the favor.

"Never," she corrects quietly, before a smile and a small laugh escape. "A quiz? Oh, there's probably lots of quizzes we could take. I think we're safely past the compatibility ones. And I prefer talking to quizzing. But you can ask me questions anytime you have one, okay?"

There's no such thing as going too far for essays. Viatorus would have loved college work.

He has never had someone who wanted to be so involved in his life before. Adjusting for this is going to be... difficult for him.

The laughter is a little bemusing. Quizzes sound like as good a guide as any to him. At least this time he doesn't outright recoil at the sudden laughing. "Okay... I'll try to ask questions that help us learn about each other. I don't know what best friends should know about each other. I guess I'll have to try and learn everything, won't I?"

She did love college work. She would have kept going if there'd been money for it. Non-evil loan money.

She doesn't mean to be difficult, or to make things difficult for him. But sometimes worthwhile things are difficult too.

It's happy laughing, V, not cruel or teasing. Never cruel with him. "You can try if you want. But then I'll be the boring one. So just... ask whatever you're curious about. And I'll ask when I'm curious. It'll work out. And if you want, you can grade me." Bringing cookies means extra credit, right?

Oh how different their difficulties are...

A lot of things are hard for him when they aren't to do with magic or studying. At least he's always been good at sticking through the difficult things.

It's hard not to assume, sometimes. It can be hard to tell with the people who laugh around him usually. "I have... no idea how I'd grade you, even if I wanted to." But cookies would have definitely meant extra credit. "Should I... do that now? Ask you things. Or should we dance some more?"

Edited 2015-11-06 23:05 (UTC)

That makes it easier for them to help each other.

This difficult thing comes with the aforementioned cookies, so that already beats out other difficult things like calculus and talking to the lady in the shop.

He'll learn, in time. He's smart and will see the pattern emerging. With V, Verity's heart is on her sleeve, in all its bleeding glory. "Either. Or both. We can start with the easy things so it's not too distracting if you'd like?" There are so many little details about each other they need to learn. Or that she feels she needs to learn, anyway, so she can prepare.

It does save on having to hire someone to talk to the lady in the shop...

"Right. I... You liked the dancing. Maybe we should do both then, since I dragged you out here away from everything and everyone so I would dance." He straightens his jacket again. "It would be good practice for me, anyway."

And it saves on having to interview people to hire them because he's already got Verity to do these things when he's not up to it and to help him do them himself when he's feeling brave.

"I do like dancing with you. And you're already better than I am, so I'm not sure how much practice I can offer you there." Something for him to teach her someday? "Okay, an easy question. When's your birthday?"

He does have Isidor to do that, but between Verity and his sister, he'll make a team to ensure he rarely has to deal with the outside world ever again...

"You can help me practice by getting me to dance," he explains as he kneels down and shoos away the chao. He tells them to watch closely so that they can dance with Verity when he's not around, an important task to be sure. "The fifteenth of March. When's yours?"

True, he does have Isidor. Verity suspects they'll be working together a great deal to help V find a happy and healthy balance. Isidor has the decided advantage in knowing what the family will find acceptable, but Verity's got the free time to do these last-minute little things.

"I like this idea, and I'm going to hold you to that," she warns him with a smile. "October first. The Ides of March. We'll make sure all of yours are much happier. Your turn."

The chao are on the case! Friends can trust the chao with important things!

That gets a double take, he's not sure whether he should be concerned by that idea or not. Hopefully she'll forget and not ask him to dance too often. "Ah! I missed your birthday! You should have said."

He gives the chao a thumbs up and a wide smile. The latter being impossible to resist when faced with chao enthusiasm.

Then he makes sure the tails of his coat are in order and steps closer to take Verity's hand and waist once more. "Did you ever have a pet?" And then he brings them into the dance again, adding more thoughtfully, "Can animals lie?"

It'll always be in private, just with her, maybe with some chao watching. They can work out how often later.

"It's okay, I don't worry about my birthday much." That doesn't mean he's getting out of being celebrated, though. He deserves it. "You've always been there when I really needed you. That's more important."

It's going to be extra adorable when the chao are mimicking his straightening of clothes, given they don't usually wear any. But he did say watching what he does is important...

"No, no pets. Dad didn't like them and after we moved to the apartment there wasn't really room. Some animals can lie. Apes, dolphins, the really intelligent ones. Dogs and cats can't lie really, not in my experience anyway. I'm guessing... all kinds of hunting dogs, for you, and a cat in the kitchen, and horses?" He is both fancy and English, and yes, these are wild assumptions, but they're halfway jokes. She wouldn't be surprised if it were true.

"So you wouldn't like it if next year I threw you a party with lots of dancing and even more cakes?" He doesn't know most things about being a best friend, but he is certain they're meant to make sure their friend has a good birthday.

"No. No, pets would have been a distraction. The family has horses, riding is pretty popular. I have a favourite, Duskin, but I haven't ridden for a few years now. He's probably very old. Still, he wasn't really a pet. Not mine, anyway."

Next year? She's having a hard time thinking about next week. But the idea is appealing and gets a little smile from her. "Yes to dancing, but just one cake. And maybe not so much a party as us having dinner?" It'd be a lot more fun for him that way, which means it'd be more fun for her.

"I'm sorry. And I'm really tempted to get you a puppy." He needs more unadulterated love in his life. And puppies are adorable.

But this is about her birthday. It's not about him. Plus, it's hard to be worried about the distant future, he can panic about his promises later. When he realises what he's done at 2am some morning and can't sleep for fretting over it. "That doesn't seem fair. Other people will want to congratulate you too. Naugus, the chao... your friends."

Viatorus sighs and gives her a gentle look of very very mild disapproval. "You need to stop wanting to get me things just because I didn't have them. I'm pretty sure you'd be a better dog owner than I would. Maybe I should get you a puppy."

"Yeah, but shouldn't I get what I want for my birthday?" Ah-ha. Hoist on his own petard. Or something like that, but less explodey. "Let's not worry about it until August at the earliest, okay? Who knows what we'll want by then." She might be up planning his birthday at a few too-early-o'clocks in the near future, but that's different. She won't be fretting, she'll be planning.

His attempt at looking disapproving is met with an innocent look. "I said tempted, I didn't say I was going to do it. I don't follow through with every idea I have. And thank you, but I don't need a puppy. I have the chao."

He may be getting a goldfish soon. Just because she has to be a little mischievous sometimes.

Viatorus peers at her as he thinks that through. She must have said that wrong, so he'll helpfully correct her, "What you'll want by then. But alright. We'll plan that later." Not that he won't mull about ideas. Terrible ideas, but ideas nonetheless.

The worst part is, he wouldn't be able to turn it away. It's still kinder than a puppy. A puppy would guilt trip him into all sorts of things. Viatorus is, however, happier to know that she didn't feel the desire to get him a little fluffball too badly. "I don't think puppies are the kind of thing you need. You want them more than need them. What about cats? Do you like them too?"

She'll allow the correction. She can explain about why she said what she did later when he's ready to hear it. "Right. Thank you."

A puppy would convince him to do all kinds of things that are good for him. She's still not seeing the problem with this. "Most people don't need a dog. You need something that will love you unconditionally and always be happy to see you and curl up with you at night. Aside from me, I mean." It's too easy to flirt with him. "I like cats. That would be more your speed, wouldn't it? And in keeping with the stereotype of the all-powerful magic man. I suppose you'll want them to be black?"

He should know what that gleam in her eyes means. If he doesn't explicitly ban the idea, he's getting kittens. Two, because they need company. But it means no goldfish.

He'll go a little bit red at the flirting, but only a bit, and then clear his throat some. "I-I like most animals, both cats and dogs." After a second, "I like ginger cats, they always look... bright? Friendly? Like you, I suppose. I'm more worried about whether an animal is friendly or not than what species they are, or what colour they are."

That gleam in her eye isn't something he's wizened up to yet, but it soon will be. Even faster if she does get him kittens.

Let's be honest: who wouldn't love to wake up to a box of kittens on Christmas morning? He's only human. Nobody could resist that.

He doesn't need to worry about the blushing, much, what with that mask he's wearing. And given that now she's blushing too. (It's not so bad when it's give and take.) "Ah, you like redheads. Good to know." She grins up at him and gives his hand a little squeeze. It's just friendly teasing, V. Now it's his turn to tease her. Back and forth is how it works best. "Of course they'd be friendly toward you. You're all made of sweetness, plus you'd be the one feeding them."

Isidor might when she realises the extra responsibilities she'll have to account for and organise. Although half of Isidor's schooling has been in the art of seeing everything as a task to be completed, an issue to be corrected, so... she had to practice kitten resistance.

If it wasn't for the hand squeeze he would have protested at that, he had his mouth open to and everything. Instead, he closes it and learns. "The feeding would probably be the key factor with kittens. Besides, the only reason for my being made of sweetness is that you keep making me lovely cakes and treats."

If Isidor sat down and did a proper cost-benefit analysis of cat ownership, even she would have to admit there are perks to the arrangement.

Good, good! Verity's quite pleased with his progress already, and even allows for a little giggle. Just a baby one. "Oh, so this is all my fault then?" She lifts an eyebrow and the look she gives him would be stern indeed if it weren't for that smile she can't quite conquer. "Well, if I'm to blame for everything, I might as well go for broke."

Did all his fancy dance lessons teach him how to twirl? Because he's getting twirled. Even if it means she's stretching rather precariously to reach over his head to do so.

Edited 2015-11-08 22:25 (UTC)

Like throwing them at undead Egyptian priests if she's stuck in a pinch...

He's about to say something when suddenly he's being twirled, much to his surprise. In his lessons only he has done the twirling and never quite like that. It throws him off balance and he has to give it all his attention to making sure he doesn't immediately step back out of the twirl to resolve his difficulty with it.

Once she's finished twirling him, he gives a small smile. "You do put me into a lot of new situations, don't you? Do you keep everyone else you know on their toes like this?"

Cats were sacred in Egypt. So that's another plus in the pro-cats column.

She won't let him fall. Verity is stronger than she looks and has a good sense of balance. Even in heels. Once he's done with the twirl she pulls him comfortably close again and gives him an unrepentant smile. "Well, I have to, don't I? Otherwise, you'll all realize how boring and grumpy I really am." She says it like a joke.

"Anyway, you like it." He wouldn't put up with it otherwise.

Once he's safely in the normal dancing position he takes a moment to think. "Hm. Sort of like how I need to keep showing you fantastic, wonderful things or else you'll realise how dull and cowardly I really am." Two can play at the game of self-depreciating half jokes.

"I like it mostly because it means I get to spend time with you, and you seem to like it."

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http://media.giphy.com/media/9YfzAhIabwZS8/giphy.gif

V should watch that film, he'd be absolutely charmed

They should watch it together. He can be charmed and she'll be vaguely confused.

Now I need to watch it again