sterngaze: (neutral: commish)
Liem “sock-wearer” Talbott ([personal profile] sterngaze) wrote in [community profile] kenoslogs2023-03-17 09:47 am

open | a merry meri mingle

Who: Meridians new & old!
What: Cookout mingle
Where: Alenroux
When: Mid-March, after Vander's rescue
Warnings: Potentially alcohol consumption and violence, for the rowdy



After the initiation of Springstar's invasion plans for Alenroux, tensions among the Meridian-aligned might be a bit strained. The move comes as a surprise even for many of the shard-bearers within the faction itself, to say nothing of those whose livelihoods depend on the farms here. It's not yet clear what Highstorm's response will be, but one will certainly be coming; when that happens, someone is going to come out on the bottom, and their blood will be at least partially on Meridian's hands.

At times like this, the importance of maintaining morale can't be understated. A call goes out to the newest generation of those harmonized with Meridian's light: it's time to have a party!

PREPARATION:
Those who can are invited to help with the set-up. There are drinks to procure, foodstuffs to acquire and prepare, canopies to erect for shade, entertainments to organize. It's not meant to be a grand affair — the gathering is private, intended to foster camaraderie among the shard-bearers after long days and nights of work — but it will be a comfortable one, with edibles and enjoyments to offer to those taking solace in the company of their fellows.

It takes one of Alenroux's long days to make all the necessary arrangements — and then, late the following morning, after the night's monsters have slunk back into the woods, things are made ready. All that's left is for the guests to arrive.

THE EVENT:
Spring is still in the midst of taking hold over Alenroux, so a tall bonfire at the centre of the gathering place offers a toasty place to linger and chat throughout the day. Hot drinks and a variety of fire-roasted foods are on offer, including an entire deer helpfully supplied and prepared by Liem. Logs and stumps provide simple seating, and nearby canopies provide shade around the tables of food and drink. A little further away, sturdy tents provide more private gathering places for those wishing for a break from the hubbub.

And there will be hubbub. To break the ice between unfamiliar faces, a variety of contests have been set up over the course of the gathering. These range from simple arm-wrestling competitions, to three-legged races, to friendly sparring matches for those so-inclined. Gathered Meris are encouraged to spectate and bet amongst themselves on contest outcomes — and better yet, to volunteer to participate themselves during the next round.

For those who have already had a chance to relax and let off some steam, the gathering is a perfect opportunity to get to know one's fellow sect-mates a little better, and to reaffirm why Meridian called to them in the first place. Those gathered are encouraged to take the chance to tell a few tales about the place they came from, and to share the visions inside their Sunbeam with those from other worlds. A favourite place, a cherished person, an unkept promise, even an old enemy: all could be worth revisiting for a moment with new comrades in arms.
fishfearme: (byronic hero look)

[personal profile] fishfearme 2023-03-22 11:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[Excellent.]

Why should I prove you wrong later? We both have our weapons, do we not? Let's settle the matter now.

[Byleth has his sword, I'm assuming Sasuke has his sword...]
eyeforaneye: (178;)

[personal profile] eyeforaneye 2023-03-22 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[ For a moment, Sasuke considers what he was taught were the three vices of all shinobi: sex, gambling, and alcohol. He's never engaged with any of the three, and given what he's seeing now he judges this to be wise. Are these the decisions that alcohol inspires? Is Byleth actually drunk? Stay tuned. ]

I'm not interested in killing you.

Be a man and take your turn, since it's clear you're shirking your punishment.
fishfearme: (gentle neutral)

[personal profile] fishfearme 2023-03-22 11:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hmmmmmmmmm.... Claude had ridden a camel, like his blind date.......]

I'd imagine.

[Horses smelled bad too, as well as cows and... anything whose main sustenance was eating grass or hay. He supposed camels, being like... desert horses or whatever, suffered from the same stinky fate.]

But, I suppose that means you've ridden them often...?
eyeforaneye: (068;)

[personal profile] eyeforaneye 2023-03-23 12:01 am (UTC)(link)
[ ... ah, it wasn't the wind. ]

You said "too seriously". I'm committed to engaging with the men I'll be working alongside. If I'm doing it too well, I won't apologize.
eyeforaneye: (145;)

[personal profile] eyeforaneye 2023-03-23 12:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ A fair question, and yet it's one that Sasuke deliberates over for a surprisingly short amount of time in spite of that fact. ]

Yes.

But I'm aware that I'm also a boring person. [ Or, at the very least, it's what he aspires to be. ]
fishfearme: (deadpan)

[personal profile] fishfearme 2023-03-23 12:09 am (UTC)(link)
Why would you need to kill me to defeat me?

[Byleth's tone isn't goading, he's like, genuinely asking, blinking those big ol' innocent (dead fish) eyes at him. After all, shouldn't Sasuke be able to take him down 'non-lethally'? He quickly lost interest though, because Sasuke dropped his outrageous penalty and that was all Byleth wanted.]

Never mind. The moment has passed. Never have I ever betrayed someone.
leicesters: (054)

[personal profile] leicesters 2023-03-23 12:12 am (UTC)(link)
Yikes. Also a self-deprecating one, for all that talk of giving your best.

[But, fine, they'll just have to agree to differ on that one.]

Never have I ever wielded a spear.
leicesters: (050)

[personal profile] leicesters 2023-03-23 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
[Claude's pretty sure he can't imagine, if his frame of reference is just a horse, but he'll let him stay blissfully ignorant on that one.]

Why would you suppose that? Fódlan's not exactly overflowing with them.
fishfearme: (gentle neutral)

[personal profile] fishfearme 2023-03-23 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
[Byleth remembered when they first met here Claude, and how he mentioned Almyra regarding his Sunbeam...]

I assumed because you've been to Almyra, correct? The books I read said the beasts resided in those eastern lands. Though, no one could agree exactly on what they looked like, rare as they are in Fódlan.

[Did they even exist in Fódlan????]
leicesters: (024)

[personal profile] leicesters 2023-03-23 12:32 am (UTC)(link)
If any of the books mentioned a big hump on their backs, that's true. They also have these bendy necks like this-- [He hunches his shoulders and sticks up his head, not that it demonstrates much besides looking kind of goofy,] and sometimes they spit when they get mad.

[...Which kind of indirectly answers Byleth's question.]
fishfearme: (huh?)

[personal profile] fishfearme 2023-03-23 12:36 am (UTC)(link)
I see. You truly are familiar with them.

[And what a strange creature... a humpbacked, snake-necked spitting fiend (this is how those medieval abominations get drawn in the scriptures). But Byleth put a tick next to Claude's name for 'potential blind date identity'.]

In any case, it's your turn now, Claude.
hyperpotamous: (022)

[personal profile] hyperpotamous 2023-03-23 12:39 am (UTC)(link)
Really? How so?

[ john leans forward in his seat a little with interest. he can see all the nitpicky physical details, but he can't tell a thing about the magic other than it's there. an interference just like the Shards, sure, but he's pretty sure livers and kidneys work just the same on whatever planet byleth comes from. ]
hyperpotamous: (008)

[personal profile] hyperpotamous 2023-03-23 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
Oof, that's a long time ago now...

[ he's not a guy who sits in bars anymore and hardly ever did, which is why his glass stays put after a little thought. ]

Never have I ever lost a bet.
fishfearme: (wha)

[personal profile] fishfearme 2023-03-23 12:51 am (UTC)(link)
Ah...

[Oh no. How does he explain this without actually explaining jackshit? Byleth's expression didn't change, utterly blank as he stared for an awkwardly long time as his mind frantically tried to formulate... something. A response, at the very least.]

The. Thing that filters impurities from my blood is. Temperamental. I'm unsure how it would respond to outside tampering.
eyeforaneye: (002;)

[personal profile] eyeforaneye 2023-03-23 12:52 am (UTC)(link)
Because that's your point. You want to test how lethal my force may or may not be, and as I have no desire to prove you right it would be impossible for you to win. There's no purpose in fighting you.

[ None outside of sating his own personal curiosity, perhaps, and that's something he can easily suppress. Still, what little emotion was in his expression is sapped as he takes a long, careful sip. ]

Never have I ever been drunk.
hyperpotamous: (003)

[personal profile] hyperpotamous 2023-03-23 12:54 am (UTC)(link)
So... it being serious means it's done well to you, is it? I would say "you must be fun at parties," but, well—...

[ he splays both hands in a gesture that says well, here we are. ]
leicesters: (111)

[personal profile] leicesters 2023-03-23 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
Alright, let me think...

[He's thrown a bit, because he wondered for a second if Byleth might ask him more questions about Almyra, but thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case for the time being, so he can relax a little.]

Never have I ever been told I snore.
fishfearme: (gentle neutral)

[personal profile] fishfearme 2023-03-23 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
[Byleth doesn't take a sip.]

I'm told I sleep like the dead.

[Apparently it had Jeralt a little worried about him when he was still quite young, when kids are meant to be a fussy in the lead up to and during sleep. Byleth apparently just went limp like he'd spontaneously expired on the spot before waking up whenever he felt like it.]
fishfearme: (gentle neutral)

[personal profile] fishfearme 2023-03-23 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
[So, they were at an impasse. Fair enough. A draw was a victory all on its own, in Byleth's opinion. At Sasuke's turn, he seemed to debate whether or not to take sip, and decides 'tipsy' is enough, so just downs half of his drink.]

Very well. Never have I ever...

[Hmm...]

...known my birthday.
leicesters: (193)

[personal profile] leicesters 2023-03-23 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, that's right.

[He did take a five year nap, presumably face down in a ditch somewhere. It's hard to imagine him snoring his way through all that.]

I'm just quiet, I guess. Or I've been snoring my whole life and no one has ever told me.
leicesters: (039)

[personal profile] leicesters 2023-03-23 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not usually a gambling man, but I was talked into it once.

[He huffs and takes a drink. Thanks, Balthus...!]
fishfearme: (neutral 2)

[personal profile] fishfearme 2023-03-23 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
If you're curious, feel free to fall asleep beside me tonight, and I'll tell you whether or not you snore.

[.......wording, Byleth.]
leicesters: (225)

[personal profile] leicesters 2023-03-23 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
What's this? A cunning scheme to persuade me to share a tent with you tonight?

--Haha, just kidding.

[unless...? 😳]
fishfearme: (gentle neutral)

[personal profile] fishfearme 2023-03-23 01:36 am (UTC)(link)
It'd be difficult to gauge your snoring levels if we didn't share a tent or bed.

[Byleth, of course, taking it seriously despite the 'just kidding'.]

Though, admittedly, I wouldn't mind the company in general. I find sleep at night difficult here. So, having someone I trust nearby may aid me in that respect.

[No Jeralt had him twitchy, even now.]
leicesters: (075)

[personal profile] leicesters 2023-03-23 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
[Ironic how someone who had once proclaimed himself the embodiment of distrust is in fact trusted enough by not one, but two members of Meridian enough to look out for them while they sleep. Joking and flirting aside, he knows what paranoia can do to a person, and he's not about to make light of that.]

...All right. I know things are pretty tense at the minute, so of course I'll stick with you.

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