[Semi-Closed] Trails of Welcoming Party

[fiddlestick]

Who: Class VII, SSS and any friends they invited
When: Evening of October 1st
Where: Trails House!
What: Welcome to Aefenglom/Post-Dorchacht party!
Warnings: An obscene use of tacky decor. Also liquor.



Having the forewarning of the dream that some classmates were coming, the members of Class VII decided to hold a welcome party not just for their old friends, but invite the friends they've made in their time there. The days after their return from Dorchacht, they went straight into preparation work. Setting up their home for new occupants, preparing food, planning activities, and decorating.

On the evening of the 1st, after more emotional reunions were done earlier near the Coven, the party begins. Already from the entry hallway balloon decorations, you can tell this will be a party to remember. The living room too is full of balloon decorations which were put up more clumsily by decorators who spent so much time on the entry hallway they ran out of time. Above it all hangs a giant glitter banner with names hastily enchanted on, giving warm welcome to their old classmates.

Balloons aren't the only decorations. There's magicked bubbles, floating around the room with glitter within that forms the names of the people near them (though the spelling might be off). There's pirate octopus lanterns, random seasonal wall hangings, streamers, poppers, kazoos, party hats for people to wear and all sorts of other random (but also tacky) decorations. The entire first floor and courtyard are covered in these decorations.

A lot of thought was put into planning this party. Was it good thought? That's debatable, but they were thoughts.

I. The Food
What's a party but its selection of food? Despite the questionable decorations, the food table in the dining room is nothing to snuff at. There's a whole spread made of easy party foods: kebabs, mini sandwiches, chips and dip, wings, and vegetable platters. For those with a sweet tooth, there's a build your own crepes station with ice cream and fruit with handmade crepe shells. Towa, with the help of Shinji and Elliot, worked hard to make the food as delicious as possible.

Among Towa's dishes are a few brought by some thoughtful guests. These are a bit more varied in quality...from Ignis's made (and Prompto delivered) fine new recipes to Zack's more questionable fae jello cake that's enchanted to make you giggle if you're brave enough to eat it. Food wasn't asked of the guests, but they won't turn away anyone's kind donations.

Lastly, the drink table is well supplied with juices, ciders, and other cold drinks found in the city. For those looking for alcohol, there's some available - along with a sign written by Lloyd reminding folks not to drink if they're underage. Decide to ignore the sign? You'll need some help, as the alcohol bottles have been enchanted not to pour for anyone under 18. Next to the drink table, there's another table devoted entirely to freshly brewed coffees and teas.

II. The Games
Every party needs good entertainment, and there's plenty to be had. Spread out throughout the party, there's different activity stations. Some are more traditional party games- like pin the tail on the faun, pictionary, make balloon animals or other crafts, etc. There's a spot with decks of cards for card games in the living room, some traditional cards and some magicked to be Zemurian-based card games. Out in the courtyard, a few chess sets have been set up for anyone who fancies a logical game. In the music room, there's music playing on record for anyone who wishes to dance, and a keyboard for anyone who wants to play. Or...try your hand at the bagpipes in there. Why not.

Once it's dark enough outside, a corner of the yard becomes devoted to playing with sparklers and small fireworks. They're magically enchanted to be different colors and shapes. In the opposite corner, there's a bonfire set up with marshmallows to roast and plenty of chairs to sit and talk. Both areas have been stalked up with easy-to-use water spell scrolls - in case anything gets out of hand.

If you're looking just for some good conversation to get to know people? There's jars throughout the party with paper slips which have questions on them meant for conversation. Some are silly ("What superpower would you want?") while some are more thought-provoking ("What's your third favorite memory?") - though most of them are pretty light in levity.

III. Quiet Spots
While festitives are fun and all, everyone needs a little quiet once and awhile. The first floor and outside are devoted to party activities, but there's a couple rooms opened on the second floor that are nice and quiet. Enchantments have been put up to muffle sound from downstairs. Any valuables have been stashed away elsewhere, so you won't find anything worth taking.

Comments

[fiddlestick]

Ehe...I'll do my best. I usually don't blink in pictures...!

[He sits up straight, hands on his lap, and gives a smile for the camera]

[clickclickbang]

[Prompto takes a moment to get it in focus, there's a brief flash, and then he's pulling away from the camera.]

And done! You wanna see it?

[fiddlestick]

[To Elliot's credit, he manages not to blink through the flash. It's actually not nearly as bad as big older cameras back home, so he doesn't need to blink that much]

!]

Now? You don't need to develop it first?

[clickclickbang]

Nope! This is my digital camera, not my film. That one, uh, that got left at home. Can't develop stuff on the go.

[Does mean his film camera got blown to smithereens but not important.]

[fiddlestick]

[Rip camera]

Oh right, digital cameras are a thing... [He's retaining knowledge really!] Well sure! I'd like to see it!

[clickclickbang]

[Prompto pulls the camera off the tripod and comes over to show Elliot the picture on the screen. No fancy filters, just a plain color photo.]

Tada!

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot, whose never seen a full color photo of himself, has his eyes widen]

Wow...this is a good photo.

[He hates how he looks and he can't bring himself to hate this]

[clickclickbang]

Yeah? They don't have full color like this where you guys are from, do they?

[fiddlestick]

Well, there's some color photos! But none of it is this vibrate. It's always kinda faded looking.

[clickclickbang]

I've got a filter that can kinda do that. Nothing beats film if you want that old-timey faded color effect, but I can get pretty close. Images are still a lot sharper, though.

[fiddlestick]

Haha, that's okay. I prefer this!

So what'll you do with the photos?

[clickclickbang]

The Coven's got a way I can get the photos off, so I'll do that and then give them to whoever they belong to!

[fiddlestick]

Oh nice!

[hmmm]

Hey, do you think you could show me how to work the camera? I want to get a picture of you too.

[clickclickbang]

[On the one hand, this is his baby. Not even Noct is allowed to touch her.

On the other, Elliot is teaching him music and if Prompto's honest the main reason Noct's not allowed to touch the camera is because the doofus sometimes summons the armiger when Prompto is right there and nearly gets whacked by a weapon.

So he nods and hands over the camera. He trust Elliot not to do drop her.]

It's not really all that hard! This model's meant for, like, amateurs and stuff so it's a little more complicated than a point-and-click, but basically?

[He gestures to the screen.]

I'm guessing the cameras back at your place have viewfinders, the little things at the top that people look through to make sure they get everything in the shot. Well, that's what this is but better. Once the shot looks right, press and hold this button here until you hear the shutter sound. I've got it on a delay so it may take a second but otherwise that's it!

[fiddlestick]

[Don't worry Prompto. Elliot understands it's his baby. Just like his violin is his own.

So it's a big sign of trust when Prompto hands it over. Elliot honors it by being careful in his hold. One hand always one it, not holding it at any angles that could cause it to drop. He's being good!

He listens to the explanation]

Oh wow...that screen is way easier to look through! Definitely different from the cameras back home. [Which he only had a bare minimum sense of how to do so] Can I do a test shot? Or is there a limit to pictures? I don't want to waste digital film.

[He also has a limited understanding of what digital means]

[clickclickbang]

There is, but there's no real "film". It's just limited by how much space I've got on the memory card, which is "a lot", so you can totally take a few test shots!

[fiddlestick]

Oh...I see. [He doesn't, but he's just going to accept it as is]

Okay, lemme try then... [He lifts the camera at a tree and...takes a picture! It comes out blurry because his hands were moving]

[clickclickbang]

[Prompto tried.

But he does see the blurry photo and bites back a chuckle.]

You gotta hold it steady!

[fiddlestick]

[He looks at the photo. Not exactly what he'd been hoping for....]

Oh, you do? Through the whole shot?

[clickclickbang]

Yeah. Usually when you hear the shutter sound it's fine, though.

[fiddlestick]

Okay...okay. Lemme try again.

[He aims for the tree again. Just hold it steady, like you would an instrument. Yeah.

This time when he takes a photo, it's not perfectly in focus and the angle is weird - but it's not shaky this time! Much better!]

[clickclickbang]

[Prompto gives him a thumbs up.]

Looking good for your second photo!

[fiddlestick]

Yeah! I think I'm getting the hang of it!

[This time he gets creative, taking a shot of some balloons attached to a pole! He's grinning to himself. It's like a kid discovering something new]

Though I doubt I'll ever get to your level.

[clickclickbang]

Eh, I've been taking photos since like middle school. I have a lot of practice. Before that, though, I was...actually probably worse than you, because I needed glasses but didn't want to get them.

[Which reminds him do they have optometrists here...]

[fiddlestick]

[!]

What? You need glasses? But I've never seen you with them.