Mingle - Emergency Potluck

[pumpkinhollow]

Pumpkin Hollow Community Bulletin

Main Nav | Permanent Bulletin | Calendar |

WELCOME POTLUCK

Greetings, residents! Those more observant sorts among you may have noticed a large influx of very crowded ferries. In order to welcome our new residents en masse, Town Hall is holding a potluck in Town Square. Please bring a dish if you are able and make a new friend!

All of our newest arrivals need only bring themselves. We look forward to welcoming you all into our community, and may your lanterns always be lit.

This event is open to all! In light of our new influx of prospective players following the Great Sail Migration, we've decided to offer a small public event to tide everyone over until the TDM this weekend.

Comments

[maximumcake]

River, have you ever seen the blood drain from a man's face in .001 seconds? Well, congrats. Now you have. Max staggers in place. Erik. She can't mean...

"Y-you don't mean... L-Lord Erik Osborne?" Please be wrong. Please be wrong. Please let this be the most terrifying coincidence on the face of this island.

[somebodychildofanyone]

Oh. Oh no. Oh no what's wrong? River's ears droop back, concern all over her face. "Yeah," she answers, "afraid I do. He's taken up employment as the town whore, kinda how I met him...well, that and I'm the town necromancer so he's my job, but..."

The pieces almost audibly click into place. River's voice goes from 'confused and worried' to 'gentle and protective'. "...Do I have the honor of speaking to a Mister Max Maximum?"

[maximumcake]

"That's me." Max says, swallowing thickly. "Wow. He... actually told you about me?" Some undefinable feeling stirs in Max. He thought Erik would be quick to forget him after... everything. It was only seven years. What's that to a vampire? What was he to Erik?

His hand creeps to the back of his neck. "I'm so sorry for making this awkward. If I knew you were his... partner I... I wouldn't have flirted so hard."

Something is only just occurring to him now as the shock fades slightly. Did she say she's a necromancer? What does she mean by 'her job?'

[somebodychildofanyone]

"I...might not have either," River admits. "We're not exactly exclusive, but." She bites her lip, looks down. "...Sorry. He. He did tell, not everything yet just 'cause there's so much to go through, but, he did tell. He put you through a lot."

[maximumcake]

"He saved my life," Max says, and he means it from the tips of his toes. "I... I know it wasn't okay. I do. But. I don't hate him. I'm actually just so glad that he's not alone. He's not..." Max chokes on a sob so hard he can't finish that thought. Dead. That's what he was going to say. He thought Erik was gone to the Nothing. Because of him.

[somebodychildofanyone]

Hesitantly, River reaches 'cross the table to put a warm hand on Max's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Listen," she murmurs. "...I know he's got shit to make amends for, if that's what you want from him. But I tell you now, I see anyone pull a move harsher than that bitch who clocked him in the nose? They'll burn. Death pays all debts and settles all accounts, and he's...not the dread lord he might have been before."

[maximumcake]

Max takes a steadying breath in, visibly bolstered by her touch. "He was never a dread lord. I tried to tell people I..." Max struggles with the words he wants and settles for a slight topic shift instead. "He's still important to me. I'm still trying to figure it out. But I'm glad--I'm really glad he has someone like you. I don't want him to get hurt. I never wanted that."

[somebodychildofanyone]

"I got bad news for you about our sex life depending on how you wanna define 'hurt'."

[maximumcake]

"I mean, as long as you're both into it I'm not gonna judge. I don't have that many stones to throw from my glass house of really, really liking teeth."

[somebodychildofanyone]

River laughs, cheerfully. "We had to have some talks about expectations. The vampires I'm used to are plague dogs, and Erik was rightly horrified to learn about it. Poor bastards - my job would be so much easier if more vampires had his immunity to being a carrier."

[maximumcake]

"Plague? Oh, shit, like... they actually spread diseases?" Max is also horrified.

"Wait, so what is your job exactly?"

[somebodychildofanyone]

Oh boy here we fucking go.

"I'm a necromancer."

[maximumcake]

"Oh." There's surprise but not disgust in that one syllable. "I've never met a necromancer before. How does that work? Can you, like, make a zombie and control it?"