He did the monster mash! [party thread]

[smithnjones]

[OOC: I know there have been a lot of posts lately, but this one can be tagged from now until whenever. I just wanted to get it up this weekend. It technically happens Sunday evening. There has been advertisements up in the journal and around the Kashtta. Non-Kashtta residents can come too! Costume is not required though remember, you can feel free

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[doyoulikecake]

Kaden's Halloween costume is not actually his fault. Once it became clear that Lily wasn't going to be out of the hospital in time for Halloween, he had to come up with a completely different costume that didn't rely on her half to make it complete. And he wound up polling one of his discussion classes -- the one he's been increasingly casual with, not the class that gets his strictly-business persona -- for costume ideas, promising he'd do whatever they agreed on provided they all aced the next test.

He didn't expect all of them to actually conspire against him and get A's on the thing. At least it showed that they learned the material and could apply it given the right motivation

[sophicsulphur]

As Iris is currently dressed as Sora, clearly, the only logical thing for her to do is go over to him. And, possibly, demand a sword-on-Keyblade faceoff

[doyoulikecake]

Kaden turns at the sound of Iris's voice, smiling. He was kind of hoping she'd be here, given that she's the only one he definitely knows in the Kashtta and all. He grins down (though not that far down, considering his own tiny) at her, reaching over and ruffling her hair. And with the contact, the Calling zeroes in, thrums through his fingertips and he quickly takes his hand away, lest he give in to the urge to tighten his grip, interrogate her about her relationship with Molly. Maybe under duress -- definitely under duress

[sophicsulphur]

She giggles again, as he scruffs his fingers through her hair. It's one of those gestures that might make some people feel belittled, but for all she considers she's perfectly mature, Iris doesn't mind this sort of big-brotherly fondness. Or big-sisterly fondness, when it comes from a girl. In fact, she really likes it rather a lot. It's the kind of thing that makes her feel cared for

[doyoulikecake]

He raises his eyebrows. Someone she knows? The admission intrigues him, and he realizes at the same time that he hasn't been keeping as close of track on her as he might normally. He doesn't know who she knows, other than Molly and Hermione. He should probably fix that, figure out who he'll have to dupe later when she runs crying to them -- if she does. If he does his work right, she'll let him rebuild her after he's torn her down. "I do, do I?" he asks. "Here, or back home

[sophicsulphur]

"Ah, no, back home," she clarifies, quickly. She always feels a little guilty, being glad that Edge isn't here, but there's just too much she'd never be able to explain to him. Too much she'd never want to, really, and he'd be miffed that he was far from her best friend any more, far from the first person she'd choose to open up to. As mean as it sounds to hear herself think it, that was only when she didn't have a choice

[doyoulikecake]

"Huh," Kaden says, studying her. He can see a bit of that guilt on her features, and he wonders how much that has to do with Chicago, or if it's just some residual trauma from her home universe. It's always hard to tell with Wanderers. His Calling hones in again, pressing him forward -- pry, pry, prey -- and he continues, "Thankfully? Why, because you don't want to be reminded

[sophicsulphur]

Iris falters, at that, her gaze going to the ground. "--Uh. Well..." Her tone's reluctant, but she's talking anyway. She doesn't exactly like speaking ill of a friend, but it is nice to have someone to finally open up to about Edge. Someone who'll get what it was like for her, stuck in that little village with only a handful of people who'd really befriended her, and all of them far too attached to their normality to really appreciate anything she valued

[doyoulikecake]

And if Kaden hadn't been paying attention, if his thoughts had been straying to Lily and to checking his phone just in case he missed a call from her or something like that, the tone of voice and the falter swing him right back around. He takes in every hesitation and the way her eyes drop, filing it all away. He figured reminding her of what she really was would get this reaction, but he wasn't quite expecting the sadness. Added bonus

[sophicsulphur]

"No, it's-- okay," she says, falling in step behind him, her voice soft but not too pained. "It's... it was a long time ago." Four years, plus what she spent in the afterlife, isn't such a terribly long time, but to a sixteen-year-old, it can see like forever. "And as for Edge, well... I feel bad for thinking it, but... I guess at least I do have friends here who get me." She smiles at Kaden, making sure he knows he's included in that. Very much so

[doyoulikecake]

She doesn't have to clarify, not really; he's sharp enough to figure out that she's still talking about her parents, and Edge, though he's not quite sure whether or not it's particularly about Edge or about her general past life. Either way, it shows a vulnerability; he has to work to not press too much, to nod along and smile reassuringly instead

[sophicsulphur]

She forces a smile, as he touches her face, wanting to feel reassured, but somehow just feeling more depressed. Kaden's so nice, and Molly's so perfect for her, and all she wants is to have a family. Well, and to be her adoptive family's species. That's all, really. Not too terribly much to ask of the universe.

"...Your dad's just a jerk," she eventually sighs. "I mentioned that, right?"

Her eyes go wide, then, at his mention of statutory rape. She might not actually know what you mean by that, Kaden. And now she's terribly confused. "I... I wasn't accusing you of--" she stammers, her hands flailing in front of her face. Which is not a terribly wise idea, given the Keyblade she's holding: it almost cracks him over the head. "I, I'd never accuse you of raping me, Kaden, I know you're not-- whatever gave you that idea?"

For a second, she's wondering if he's misheard something, something she said about the surgery. And so now she's just going to babble. "That wasn't-- I didn't mean you, okay? --and I told you I'm not with Molly any

[doyoulikecake]

He gives her an odd look at that. "I'd have picked a couple stronger choice words than 'jerk', but yeah," he says. "What bro--"

And then she's flailing, and he's having to duck a Keyblade to the face. He does manage to duck out of the way, and then just watches her with a smile on his face while she flails. This is amazing. Also a bit hilarious.

"Iris," he says at one point in the flail, but she doesn't seem to hear him, so he waits, drinking it in a bit longer. "Iris. Statutory rape is a legal term -- I wasn't think you were accusing me of actually being a rapist. I'd be much more offended if you were." He shrugs, letting her flop back against him. "It means someone who's legally an adult -- over 18 -- having sex with someone who's legally a minor, meaning someone under 18. Consensual or not, though you have bigger problems if it's not consensual than the age gap

[sophicsulphur]

Iris stops with the flail, and furrows her brow at him. "...But why's that called rape?" she insists, still looking mighty pissed off by this whole conversation. "It's not rape for someone to-- don't I get to decide when that is? Don't I get to decide when I feel violated? Don't I get to-- that's just stupid." She folds her arms, glowering at him like he can fix the world for her, if only she's petulant enough.

--And then shoots him a startled glance. "Wait, does that mean if anyone sleeps with--" She quickly amends that to the past tense, just in time, even though it isn't actually applicable. She doesn't need Kaden to know she's still planning on sleeping with Molly. "--if anyone's slept with me they're...." And lets the implication trail off, because she's too horrified to speak it.

She doesn't want to make that true of Molly. She doesn't want society to call her that. Never ever. But she wants her, so much, and....

"--this just isn't fair," she says, stomping her overly-heavily-shod foot on the ground in a final burst of

[doyoulikecake]

"You would think so," Kaden replies. "But the courts get to decide when people have autonomy over their own lives, ultimately, and in most places that's 18. In Illinois it's younger than that, though

[sophicsulphur]

Iris isn't always the kind of person who needs autonomy over her own life, necessarily. Often, she's more than happy to let higher authority fill that space, to submit to the will of a power that knows how to guide her life better than she does. But in this particular case, her belief is that-- well, the law is an ass. Though she wouldn't have put it quite like that. She doesn't see why the courts should get to tell her what's violation and what's not. And she finds it even less appealing that they intend to force that decision on Molly.

"...how much younger?" she huffs, holding her shoulders tense, still looking like the wind's been taken out of her sails. "You know, in my world, I'd be almost expected to be settling down by now. I... I just don't wanna be told who I can and can't love. By the courts. By your father. By anybody." She almost snatches the glass from him, taking a gulp. "That should be between us