I'm No Party-Throwing Expert But I Do Think This Is Gonna Be A Good One!

[summerdude]

The first day of summer dawns bright and warm, a steady breeze stirring through the trees. The day itself is a flurry of activity: Magnus and Tress meet up in the kitchen early in the morning to start throwing together refreshments for Galahad's party. They make three kinds of cookies, and also a tray of flat brownies — Magnus has it in his head that half of the cookies and all of the brownies should be turned into ice cream sandwiches and, accordingly, tracks down Susan (who seems to know everything about this place) to get her to produce a deep freezer for Legoland. (She has that look on her face like he smells bad the whole time, but when he mentions it's for the bachelorette, at least she seems slightly less cold and standoffish.)

While the baked goods cool, Magnus ransacks the pantry for chips and candy and stuff for sandwiches. He lets Tress handle ice cream selection; when they find boxes of Bagel Bites in the freezer, he cheers. Legoland definitely has a microwave; they plugged the freezer into the same outlet. (Is a bachelorette the same thing as a slumber party? Maybe!)

It's early evening by the time everything is done and set up, even with Alex and Tress's help. He decides that the substantial food and record player should both be reserved for Legoland, partly because it does have electricity. They lug a big old table up to the top of the tower for the taste tests, and then an easel with giant post-it notes for the 'naming Mansion constellations' portion of the evening, and then a bunch of the smaller easels, sketchpads, and a selection of different art supplies (markers, crayons, watercolors, pencils, acrylic paints) he and Sunny have been tracking down and hoarding, for the bestiality portion of the evening.

After sending Tress and Alex off so they can get ready, he sets up for the taste tests: bowls full of different candies (white rabbit, hopjes, strawberry-flavored fizzing warheads, Reeses's cluster bites, Haribo gummy goldbears, hundred grand bars, red vines, salmiak licorice, candied verdant vines (Tress made them), and nerd ropes), bowls full of chips (Takis in the flavors angry burger, blue heat, and dragon sweet chili; Lays in the flavors Wasabi Octopus, All Dressed, Cappuccino, White Rabbit Rich Toffee (to compare with the actual white rabbit candy), and Pimento Cheese), and several cloth bags covering different red-flavored sodas, with wine tasting note cards so people can try to guess which is Code Red, which is Big Red, which is Cheerwine, and (in a fond nod to Alex), which is Tizer. He completes the array with a stack of paper for general ranking notes for the candy and chips. (There are also a couple child-sized easels and ranking sheets, for Mothwing and Sunny, but Magnus did also bring regular water for her and Sunny, a fish supplied by Drosera for Mothwing, and some carrots and apple slices for Sunny. There is also an easel and notepad for Shen Yuan, even though he's just a ghost and probably can't manipulate it, but he knocked once for yes when Magnus asked his growing body if he was going to make it.)

Finally, after convincing Drosera that she should absolutely wear a cute little bolo tie and party hat for this, he darts into the mansion for a quick shower, a change into one of the outfits Galahad picked for him when they tried on clothes, and to collect the groom himself. He presents Galahad with a white sash embroidered in gold; it reads GROOM TO BE. There's also a little tiara that he found in their bedroom. He assumes it's a cheap gimmicky one, but it's actually filigree red and white gold with real sapphires, diamonds, and pearls — he just picked it because it's delicate and will blend in with Galahad's hair in a way that will let the sapphires really pop.


Stages of the night will be posted in parent comments; everyone is welcome to thread with whoever in response to those! Awkward social interactions between people who aren't necessarily friendly are encouraged.

Comments

Arrivals!

[summerdude]

When guests arrive, they will find Magnus and Galahad hanging out with Alex already in flamingo form. The first thirty minutes of the night will be unstructured; guests are welcome to mingle, engage in taste testing, and chat.

Re: Arrivals!

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad is wearing his favorite overalls, and the earrings Claudius gave him for his birthday, along with the sash and tiara, and has added mascara to make his eyelashes longer and darker (it's his first time wearing makeup outside of his and Claudius' room). He is eating Angry Burger takis with the intensity and focus usually reserved for disarming explosives.

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji is perfectly on time, just as he always is, and dressed in crisp white robes, also just as he always is. He makes his way to the top of the tower and surveys the production with some minor trepidation, which he stoically keeps invisible and to himself. He would not have dreamed of refusing the invitation; how could he? He bows respectfully to Alex in particular, and then proceeds to find himself a place on the outskirts. That said, he may also be found grimly and systematically eating exactly one of every food on offer, because he is the world's most indulgent father figure and teacher and can't refuse anything asked of him by Magnus or Galahad.

Re: Arrivals!

[mothwingofriverclan]

Mothwing's been warned about Alex, but it's still odd not to try and hunt a bird in their midst. She sits on the opposite side of the room, tail twitching, wondering what twolegs do at parties.

[sporesprouter]

Tress gets herself ready for the party fairly quickly once the preparations are ready and arrives, wearing a light blue dress. She greets those who arrived ahead of her, especially Galahad, and goes to start trying the food that she didn't have an active hand in creating.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan also arrives promptly - back in London, she might've aimed for being fashionably late for social reasons, but in truth she likes punctuality and she gets the sense Galahad also appreciates that sort of precision. She's wearing a party frock - not the sort of eye-catching affair she might wear if trying to catch the eye of a lover, but certainly still one appropriate for a special occasion. It's in a lighter blue than the deep navy she usually chooses when she wears actual color, though still deep - more of a cobalt, really. The lace detailing is in the same shade, but shot through with a metallic silver thread. Her hair is loose, cascading down her back.

She watches Lan Wangji sample the snacks, many of which are rather unnatural colors, and comes to stand beside him. "Ought I dare?"

Re: Arrivals!

[ninth_cavalier]

Tally had strong-armed (read: half-encouraged, half-bullied) Gideon into dressing up for this, so she's in an oversized shirt patterned with butterflies and the jawbones of some kind of creature, unbuttoned to her navel, over a black sports bra and nice black slacks, looser than her normal jeans.

When she sees either Magnus or Galahad or both, she will point to her shirt with both thumbs and go, "Look!! Bugs and bones!!"

[biteybaby]

Sunny is wearing a very fluffy dress with pink flowers and green leaves printed on it. There was a matching headband with big fabric flowers, but when Sunny tried it on she decided she didn't want it, so instead her hair is in two tiny little pigtails that stick straight out, tied back with small green bows. She has on pink shoes that squeak when she walks.

Re: Arrivals!

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad, very seriously, says, "You look hot."

Re: Arrivals!

[ninth_cavalier]

Gideon pulls him in to ruffle his hair (gently, so as not to dislodge the tiara). "You, too, Jumpy. Happy pre-wedding or whatever."

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji is generally aware of his surroundings, so Susan's presence is not a surprise, but he is mildly startled when she chooses to speak to him. He manages to fold into a neat little bow despite the fact that he is holding a wasabi octopus-flavored chip delicately between two fingers of one hand, and the look he is giving her when he straightens is one of slightly wry bemusement. On his face, that mostly amounts to very muted amusement in his eyes and a barely-there hint of a quirk at the corner of his mouth. "Young mistress Pevensie. Do you have an adventurous palate?"

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Certainly not this adventurous," says Susan, observing the blue tube that seems to think itself a food product. "I ought to have brought toffee fruits. At least those have got nutrients."

[lightbearinglord]

"I have never heard of a toffee fruit." Lan Wangji frowns at the chip between his fingers, then resigns himself and eats it in one neat little bite. It is less dismaying than he feared.

Re: Arrivals!

[ninth_cavalier]

Gideon spots Mothwing and makes a glad beeline for her. "Hello!" she says, which sounds like a normal thing to say, but is actually a callback.

[untamedantinous]

Enjolras arrives shortly after Lan Wangji does, dressed in something very similar to this floral patterned waistcoat; his only concession to the party being a green frock coat instead of a black. He greets Alex, Magnus, and Galahad with a short nod, and lingers on the outskirts as well, observing the sodas and snacks with somewhat appalled curiosity.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"It's from - another world," she says, mildly. "It grew from toffee, but it's a fruit."

Re: Arrivals!

[mothwingofriverclan]

Mothwing's glad to see Gideon, too. She's always liked that Gideon balked at the idea of trapping kittypets right away, without even a single argument that they might be better off in a twoleg den.

"Hello, Gideon!" she meows warmly. "Have you been to one of these before? I'm afraid cats don't have so much ceremony around becoming mates."

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji appears to accept this information without any change of expression as he contemplates the bowl of "all dressed" chips, a phrase that means, as far as he can tell, nothing. He glances back to Susan and then admits, "I have also never heard of toffee."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"It's confectionery prepared from caramelized sugar and butter." Susan takes the strange blue 'food' and breaks off a tiny section of it, placing it carefully on her tongue, and winces immediately. "Oh dear." The remainder of that is going in her handkerchief until she can find a place to dispose of it!

[lightbearinglord]

He observes this with sympathy. Out of politeness, he ate the entirety of his portion of that one, but he has no intention of repeating the experience. He will be taking some back to Wei Ying, however. "Magnus tells me that I am from more than a thousand years before him," he says, mildly enough, as explanation for his ignorance regarding toffee.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan is very good at not making facial expressions, and furthermore has prepared for many people at Galahad's party liking the boy who he asked to sort out the entire affair, so her mouth doesn't thin at the mention of Magnus. "I'm afraid I haven't got any sense of when he's from," she says, an explanation for how this doesn't clarify the full extent of Lan Wangji's meaning. It's merely clear he's from her future, as well.

Re: Arrivals!

[ninth_cavalier]

Gideon shakes her head. "I haven't. I'd never been to any kind of party before I came here." She eyes the assorted snacks. "So far they seem to mostly be about eating and drinking stuff and talking to people."

Re: Arrivals!

[mothwingofriverclan]

"Well, you and I have that in common, then. Twolegs have very different tongues than cats," Mothwing meows, following her line of sight. "There was a whole new taste I tried when I was in Nina's body, and I suspect most of these are flavored like that."

[lightbearinglord]

"The twenty-first century," Lan Wangji says, without commentary on the fact that that is not at all how years are counted by his own reckoning. Gamely, he eats an all-dressed chip, primarily to have done with it. It is not good.

Re: Arrivals!

[ninth_cavalier]

"We have a different taste?" Gideon asks, fascinated. "Is there one cats have that we don't?"