[OPEN] Arthur's birthday party!

[pratservant]

Who: Everyone! Newly arrived characters are welcome to have found one of the invitations and come check it out! Tag yourselves in, mingle, form new CR and strengthen the old.
When: Evening of 9/29
Where: Second floor Ballroom of the Patrol Headquarters
Format: Whatever you'd like.
What: Arthur's birthday party is a little late, but at least he's

Comments

Gift Table

[pratservant]

[Drop off your gifts here. ...Really wasn't kidding about getting him a pet.]

[pratservant]

[What do you buy for the guy who has everything? Merlin had struggled with it for days - boots and blades and everything in between. Finally he'd decided on something.

He leaves the embossed leather journal on the table. On the inside cover:

Write your own legend.

Arthur will recognize the handwriting and know who it's from.]

[theprettyfits]

[Simon has never met this Arthur person, but figures having friends in Anatole can't exactly be a bad thing. He has heard of Arthur, though.

He brings the only thing he has that isn't medical supplies- a small box of strawberries, like the ones from Shepherd Book. Mal had said something clumsy again and hurt Kaylee's feelings, and bought (or stole, Simon wasn't sure) enough strawberries for the whole crew to make up for it. Simon's share had come with him through the Door, and now he left them for Arthur.]

[divinelyhushed]

[It's a duck.]

[...And some olives.]

[supercilious]

[ All right, so Arthur had suspected something was going on. Merlin had done a pretty good job of being sneaky up until today, when suddenly he was all odd disappearances and impromptu baths. But his birthday was over a month ago, so he doesn't actually catch on. Not when Merlin's laid out his best clothes, his new shirt. Not even when he's following one of Freya's ducks down the hall and up the stairs. ]

[ And though Arthur has had many parties held in his name, never before has one been a surprise. ]

[ For a moment he just stands in the doorway, taking it all in with wide, blue eyes. Then he finds he's grinning, huge and happy, and he's not sure he's ever going to stop. A giddy feeling washes over him, and he hasn't felt this way since - well, since his actual birthday and the horrific events that followed it. It's a powerful feeling, even if he isn't sure anymore what to do with his hands, or how breathing works. ]

[ Finally he steps into the ballroom, already trying to work out who he has to thank for which bits, keeping one

[theprettyfits]

[Simon walks up to the young man who just entered the room, looking...not terribly surprised, but happy nonetheless.]

Are you Arthur? I'm sorry, I don't believe we've ever met. Well, happy birthday.

I found one of the invitations to the party, and I'm new to Anatole, so I thought I'd say hello.

[supercilious]

No, I don't think we have.

[ Arthur holds out a hand for shaking. Anatole sees so many new faces, it's near impossible to meet them all, but he never turns down the chance. ]

Thanks. And welcome to the city.

[applelimber]

[Those who were worried about alcohol - or the lack thereof? Fear not. There's no way Helen's going to let there be a party without the booze. After all, Arthur was her Patrol partner. ...Ex-patrol partner.

Whatever. The guy was too uptight anyway.

The former twenty-two lingers near the buffet table, waiting for someone to cut that fancy-ass cake before she takes it upon herself to do it.]

[transitorychild]

[He's already dropped Dawn's form now that the 'gift' was delivered, and is hanging around to see all of the people. After all, he can't take the form of someone he's never seen before, so he's considering it as a form of information gathering.

Something Dawn had said before about silver eyes resurfaces, though, when he catches sight of Helen, and so he's going to make a point to get a closer look.

As in leaning right into her line of sight and getting in really close.]

Ah~! You do have silver eyes!

[applelimber]

[Helen blinks and draws back a little. It's not like she's mastered the concept of 'personal space' herself. Not unusual to see her draped over her comrades, Deneve especially - or trying to. But it's still something for someone she doesn't even know to do it.]

Huh? Oh, yeah. What do you think about them, kid?

[transitorychild]

[He isn't fazed by her drawing back, if he even notices it at all.]

She was right. They look kind of neat.

[godslaying]

You look lovely, Rukia-chan~

[...Yes, everyone's in high spirits. It's surprising how many of these functions Gin actually attends. Sometimes he's just a fly on the wall. Sometimes he finds someone to buzz around.]

[This would be one of those times.]

[godslaying]

Arthur?

[Aaaand there's your answer.]

Just came to say hi to a couple of friends.

[Gin's grin stretches as he leans down and gives her a little wave.]

Tonks Magic Show, Take Two the Magical Boogaloo!

[wotchesyou]

[ Merlin had asked Tonks to put on a show. Tonks said yes. ]

[ Her show is not like her last one. Nope, it is story time with Tonks. The tale? The Story of El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inlé. It is a favorite chapter from one of her most favorite books. She thinks the story will appeal to Arthur, a leader trying to save his people.

It's a grand illusion. Tonks sits off to the side and directs the scene with her wand. She's put quite a bit of practice into this.

Her illusion even has differing voices for the rabbits. Tonks is just the narrator. ]

"I have learned that with creatures one loves, suffering is not the only thing for which one may pity them. A rabbit who does not know when a gift has made him safe is poorer than a slug, even though he may think otherwise himself."

[ And so the story goes... ]

[inpiecesofcloud]

[Yachiru has inched forward so far now that she is practically in the middle of the illusion. She reaches toward the Black Rabbit, almost close enough to touch.]

Is he supposed to be a god?

[wotchesyou]

[ Yachiru. x_x ]

The Black Rabbit?

[ Tonks waits until after her story is over before answering. Yes, she's just going to move the illusion around Yachiru. ]

No, he represents Death.

[inpiecesofcloud]

But you can't talk to death!

[She knows because she deals with it all the time.]

It's just something that happens to people!