September Event - Guest Appearances

[pumpkinhollow]

GUEST APPEARANCES

Ignition

September 20th is the Autumnal Equinox. Many places across the world of Concorde celebrate the first day of fall. While various nations and regions have their own cultural practices surrounding it, nature is god everywhere. And so the inception of Mother Autumn’s domain is universally recognized, even if the names change from place to place. But on a little island named Marrow, in a little town called Pumpkin Hollow, there is another reason to celebrate.

The birth of Dahlia Leeds is not so important an event that it supersedes Celestine herself, and neither Dahlia nor anyone in town is foolhardy enough to claim as much. In fact, after the events on this very same day last year, one might argue that perhaps her birth at least started out as a bad thing. But she is certainly the wealthiest person in town. It is through the combination of substantial wealth and a generous heart, two things that are very seldom found in the same place, that we end up with a soiree where the birthday girl would rather spoil everyone else on her day than herself.

The doors to Leeds Estate, which presides proudly over the town upon its throne at the crest of Founder’s Hill, are flung wide open. Large sums of Brass are paid to caterers, florists, and seamstresses to make sure this place is decorated to the nines. Some businesses labor all year, just to prepare for the handsome payoff they’ll get from this event alone. And you, dear neighbor, are invited. Not only are you invited, but you are dressed for the event in whatever your heart desires, completely at the birthday girl’s expense. Dahlia ensures no cost nor conflict stands in between anyone in town and a much-needed break. She is determined for this birthday of hers to be a good night.

Or else.

Incipience

{ The timeframe between ignition and the peak of burning, where a small, contained fire spreads and grows gradually into an established flame. All it takes is a spark. }

The whole town is abuzz as preparations for the gala begin. From the moment people begin to wake up for the day, the air throughout Pumpkin Hollow just feels electric with excitement. After August, people have been needing this lift in morale, and after how last year’s gala went… well, there’s a lot riding on this one. And Dahlia seems much more in control now.

Speaking of being in control, the whole lead-up process has been incredibly organized. You wake up to a delivery--- your outfit, perfectly tailored and completely paid for. Accessories are included. She truly thought of everything.

It’s noteworthy that Dahlia’s invitations this time included another name beneath her own. “Suzanne Marie Dyneax,” it said. Most people don’t know the name, but gossip gets around in a small town like this. It’s not hard to pick up on the fact that this probably refers to Susie, one of the teenagers that Dahlia recently moved into her home, whose own birthday was ruined by Seemingly’s attack. Gift baskets have been delivered to others whose days were in proximity to the disaster--- Zivia, Capochin, even CT. Wine, fruit, and sweets, along with a birthday card. Dahlia has said in the past, “my birthday is your birthday,” but never has that felt more true.

With businesses mostly closed for the celebration, you are left with the majority of the day to prepare in relative peace. For many of the women in Dahlia’s inner circle, there is even a pre-party group dressing room set up on the third floor of her home. Only those who received her special invitation (Susie, Noelle, Fever, Cassandra, Anya, Alice, Patty, Melanie, Basira, Elsie) are permitted to join, but any friends or partners are gladly invited to wait at the bottom of the stairs for the girls to make their grand entrance.

The food is laid out, flowers placed, dresses laced and buttoned. The clock strikes 6pm, and the fun begins.

FLASHOVER

{ The moment when a blaze reaches its maximum size and heat, and the radiant heat in the space is such that all combustible materials ignite at once, allowing the flame to steadily and freely burn for the rest of the night. }

By the time it reaches 6:15, the ballroom is already flooded with eager dancers and hungry dinner guests. After all, the whole town is invited, and everyone’s excited to see Dahlia’s beautiful new ballroom and take a load off.

The music is elegant, played by a rotating cast of musicians who join the party when their act is over. The food is extravagant--- Dahlia and two of her partners are some of the biggest foodies in town, so this is expected. There is talking and laughing and the swirling of ballgowns, and all is well.

But there is a guest you do not recognize in the corner of the ballroom. An older man with white hair, strong features, and a dour expression. You can see Dahlia eyeing him, then flitting over to him, then talking to him. Her expression shifts from anxious, to annoyed, to resigned, before at last she sighs heavily and leaves him to it. Whatever it is that’s going on, clearly it’s something Dahlia is willing to begrudgingly tolerate in order to get back to having fun.

The reason for the disturbance becomes clear in short order, but by the grace of Celestine (and perhaps Eligos), it isn’t a reality bending nightmare or an attack by some monstrous beings. It is simply more guests.

A lot more, in fact.

Those who were on the island in September of the previous year will recall the Visitor’s Center, which appeared briefly just past the beach and served as temporary living and meeting quarters for visitors from the homeworlds of current residents. It would seem that this is a repeat incident. For the night of the gala, one to two “plus ones” have been invited for the vast majority of offworld residents. Most of them are friends or family who are happy to see their guests--- but this is ultimately a working of Eligos, so naturally, this is not always the case.

At the very least, Eligos seems to have been generous with his own granddaughter. As she turns away from him, she very nearly runs into someone much shorter than her. A dark haired human man with dwarfism. He laughs at the accident, grinning up at her as she stares back at him, utterly baffled. Then, petticoats billowing out, Dahlia sinks to the floor and embraces him as tight as she can, head pressed to his chest with little regard for her carefully-styled hair. Even those across the room can hear her shout his name. ”Jonah!”

Within the hour, the ballroom is packed with nearly double the people originally expected, turning the party livelier than it’s ever been. Tearful reunions, laughter, dancing, mischief, romance, sparring, cruelty, and even proper, righteous violence. Truly, this Leeds Gala will be one for the books!

--------
[ OOC reminders: each apped-in player character is entitled to one or two guests from their homeworld. This can be former selves, family, friends, enemies, and they do not have to be from the character’s exact canonpoint. They can be from the past or the future. You may play them yourself, ask another member player to do it, or recruit a non-member player to do so with moderator approval. Non-member players are permitted to join the Discord server while they’re active in this event! Threads you write for your own guests are eligible for AC for the character they’re there with, and threads you write for someone else’s guest can be used on the AC of a character of your choice. Just make sure to mark them as guest threads. After the gala, guests will be allowed to move freely about town, stay the night on Saturday and go home Sunday, or leave right after the gala if preferred. And last but not least, characters played in the gala can be apped directly from this event, rather than going through the normal arrival process. Let a mod know if you have questions, and have fun! ]

Smoldering

{ The decay of a flame as available heat, oxygen, and burning material gradually diminish. Eventually, the flames will recede entirely into glowing embers, glittering like orange starlight amid the ashes of what once was. }

The party rages well into the night. It’s not typical for residents of Pumpkin Hollow to stay out this late, with everything around here that goes bump in the night, but eventually party-goers begin to find their way out. They move in small groups, huddled around lanterns, may they ever stay lit. Perhaps the surprising bit is that their guests can go with them. There are even reservations made for board overnight at the Oak & Iron, all under the name “E. Rex”.

But alas, these reservations are only booked for one night. And by the time the sun begins to set on the darker half of the year for the first time, an unfamiliar black boat is moored at Jack's Marina. One that the guests will recognize as the vessel on which they arrived. They must leave by the time it becomes dark.

Or must they? Perhaps for a select few, they will fail to feel the call which draws them home. It is unclear why. There are many that Mortanne would have allowed residency for, if she could. But for some reason, all but a small few feel the pull. Perhaps Eligos has simply abandoned them here. (Or maybe none at all end up marooned and everyone goes home? That all depends on you, dear reader.)

When the sky goes dark, the aptly named Heavy Heart shoves off, with only her crimson sails hanging suspended seemingly in midair in the moonlight. The black ship is otherwise consumed by the night. And soon, even those flashes of red vanish into the distance.

Moments recede into memories, like a dying fire settles gently into glowing embers at the bottom of a hearth. The festivities are over, and the guests are gone. Life in Pumpkin Hollow resumes as before. But maybe just a little warmer and brighter.

“My birthday is your birthday,” as Dahlia often says.

Happy birthday.

References to the appearance of Leeds Estate can be found here!

Comments

[abhorrently]

"I like your spirit! Let's call it twenty then."

Making stupid bets is much safer than getting involved or trying to break it up.

"Out of curiosity, why the blue one?"

[follyartist]

"Aura, maybe? You can feel the mean streak on this guy from across the room!"

Just about around when he finishes saying that is when Capo goes off on his two-by-four shaped rant, which Battat pauses to listen to the entirety of, holding one hand up in the air. Please hold, this is so important. And when the whole thing ends with a dramatic spit:

"Ooooooooohhh. See what I mean? That's my guy."

[abhorrently]

While she'll admit the rant's highly impressive - those are some insults she'd never thought of before - there's a point at which she winces, eyes flicking to the guy Capo's spitting at, and then back to Carolina. That crossed some lines in front of the whole town. Might have to be one of those things people decide to not talk about because of how awkward it is.

And then Carolina's slamming him into the table, and now no one's in the punch bowl, because it's broken, and others are starting to ready an intervention, which means Fever doesn't have to think about one at all.

"...Still better than last year. Even if they break the table."

[follyartist]

The downside to being a guest and knowing hardly anyone at this shindig is having limited info with which to make any bets. The upside to knowing hardly anyone is having limited info with which to experience any secondhand embarrassment on anyone's behalf. Battat can read a room, and he can tell things got very serious very fast, but he has the luxury of not having to have any particular feelings about it.

The relief of that kind of smacks him upside the head, actually. It's been so long since it wasn't his self-sworn duty to manage anyone else's emotions. Is it wrong to indulge in the apathy, just this once? Fuck it; he's doing it anyway. His only responsibility here is to keep out of the way, sip his drink, and keep his voice down when he responds; it's not like he wants to make things worse either.

"What happened last year? No one told me drama was a birthday tradition."

[abhorrently]

Since things may or may not be getting handled, the best thing anyone else can do is to stay back, unless they want to gather up the shards of the punch bowl. Depending on how Carolina looks later, Fever might go check on her, but at the moment, she's got to have room to feel her feelings.

"Birthday girl's uncle crashed the party and tried to ensnare people in a net of illusions along with his favorite henchmen. And part of the ballroom caught fire in the aftermath. I think next year we all need to solemnly promise to not sock anyone in the jaw before we're allowed in, and she might be able to have a quiet occasion."

[follyartist]

"Wait, THAT'S what happened last year?! That's on a completely different level! It's not drama anymore as soon as anyone gets a net of illusions involved!! That's not a party, that's a CRIME SCENE!!"

The hand that's not holding his drink gesticulates wildly in the air. This is just how he is when things turn out to be ridiculous, actually, and it's a fact of his life that most things end up being ridiculous. That's the kind of place this is too, huh...why is he even surprised by anything anymore?

"I'd swear off birthday parties at this point."

[abhorrently]

"Or you just start wagering on whether it's going to be a crime scene or a fun night out, right?"

Because that's what kind of place this is, unfortunately. Toss a coin with an equal chance of it being a pleasant occasion or a nightmare, and sometimes your pleasant experience is someone else's nightmare, but overall, it can usually be sorted. Anyway, she'll take the punch bowl shattering as her loss, and if this guy is around come morning, he'll get his payout.

[follyartist]

"That's taking things way too casually!!"

As though he wasn't the one who started that this time himself, just minutes ago . . . how quickly the turn tables.

Most of the time, when Battat does this, he doesn't realize he's doing it unless someone points it out to him. But once in a while it gets through, and this is one of those times. Maybe it's the low stakes, or his overall good mood, or having had a little to drink tonight. (It is probably some kind of issue to consider that dulling the edges of his thoughts makes them sharper somehow, but he will not consider it, thanks.)

Either way. He pauses after that statement and then lets out a sigh.

"I guess it was fun making a bet again. It's been forever since I had that kinda time. But it's like falling off a bike! Too easy, no matter how long it's been!"

[abhorrently]

She considers saying that she's never ridden nor fallen off a bike, but that's a personal gap in her life experience that this guy doesn't need to yet know about. Instead, she nods, considering the rest of his words.

"You're that busy most of the time?"

Even on their most hectic at Town Hall, there's always time for casual conversation or complaining about what people did and did not do this week. Then again, she's not the one with the most hardcore work ethic out there. Enough to get by and get other people to share the burden, but not going to take the world on her own shoulders. Not for a day job, at least.

[follyartist]

"You've got NO idea!"

And . . . aaaand she can't have any idea, come to think of it. That little complaint slips out of him easily enough, but he realizes there's a hard limit in how far he can explain anything to her. To anyone, actually! He's had to deal with that as his reality for quite a while at this point, but there's something about having to keep it up in a brand new environment that weighs on him a little extra as soon as the realization fully sinks in. Here they are, walking around in the Light World, or something like it at least, meeting new people, seeing the sky of all things, breathing in the outside air. And still this fundamental truth hasn't changed. Some things are exactly the same as they were back home.

So—he says that and then stops short for a beat while he recalibrates, in his head, what exactly is safe to say. There's still plenty, so it's fine. Imagine being at a loss for things to complain about! Couldn't be him!

He starts by nodding over at Tenna across the room. Even when Battat's not stalking him, the man is not hard to immediately locate and point out.

"You know him at all? Ever heard him talk about home before? That's my boss!"

[abhorrently]

"Him?"

The TV skull guy? Him being someone's boss isn't farfetched, but she senses enough drama that she'd like a little more insight on. It's not her place to push too hard, but hey - if he's really only here for the night, then who is she going to tell, she can argue?

"I haven't heard him really talk about home. We met in passing, but it was more me telling him a little about why we're here in the first place and avoiding the summer heat."

And someone who used to work for her showed up tonight, although at present he's on the roof or something to stay out of the way. Not the sort of guy you want to make any bets with, or hang around for any true length of time.

[follyartist]

"So you gave him a tutorial, huh? That seems like it could take hours! Just look at all this! I have no idea what's going on!"

Which is annoying! It gets under his skin! Sure, it's nothing new, but at least he usually has his work cut out for him working on putting things together. This isn't that kind of situation. He's here for a night, right? He could spend the entire time gathering information and come out of it only knowing ten percent of the deal here, and then nothing more, ever again.

. . . That worries him. His crossed arms tighten over his chest, drink forgotten for the moment on the table (which is thankfully not having anyone thrown into it anymore, for now).

"If you were explaining things to Tenna . . . that must mean you've been here longer than he has, right? How long?"

[abhorrently]

"I recently went past the eighteen month mark."

A lot, lot longer than Tenna's been here. Not as long as some - and definitely not local - but long enough to have a grasp on how a good portion of this place works. And what they're fighting for, with all the barrier business. Not that it's the concern of their visitors, in the end, but it matters for those who have to live here and wake up in a few days still present.

"Spring of last year. I suppose I can't really say I'm an outsider to the island anymore."