driftfleet | 🎃 HALLOWEEN MINGLE 🎃

You are cordially invited to Cisco and Winn's Not-Too-Terrifying Halloween Costume Party!

Who: everyone ( yes, you too!)
Broadcast: N/A
Action: aboard the Iskaulit!
When: current

[ on the night of the 28th, the lecture hall will open its gates though it'll look remarkably different. Winn and Cisco would have decorated the corridors leading to it with Jack-o'-lanterns made from the pumpkins gathered at the little patch on the planet. The hall itself will be similarly decorated, along with other traditional scary Halloween decorations made from paper and fabric ( don't ruin the little paper spiders, they took hours to make! ). There will be music from various times of Earth-1 and Earth-3, so don't be surprised to find Lady Gaga playing alongside the Spice Girls! Feel free to make requests or otherwise, just show your skills on the dance floor!

There will be a bar run by Nami offering free sodas, though you'll have to pay for your own alcohol ( remember, don't drink and fly! ). Alongside the bar, characters will find a few tables offering candy from Earth-1 won by Cisco at the game room with a little sign reading TAKE ONE, LEAVE SOME FOR OTHERS and quite a lot of space chips and protein dips as well as various candy from all over the different planets ( cleverly hoarded by Winn! ) and a large selection of pumpkin pies and pumpkin treats. Characters will also find a line leading to Cisco's trusty ice cream machine, though it'll only offer peanut butter flavored sorbet.

At the corner of the hall there will be a karaoke machine with a little sign-up sheet. Characters could sign up solo or in groups and list the song they'd like to sing. Keep in mind though, the entire hall will be able to hear your rendition of Sexy and I Know it!

Adventure-seeking characters will be able to follow signs reading HAUNTED HOUSE and reach a large hall that was turned into a maze by large cardboard blocks painted black or covered by dark fabrics. Making it out of the maze won't be too hard and the maze itself won't be too frightening but will be mildly startling. It'll include some nifty engineered animatronics of witches, scarecrows, scary clowns and skeletons as well as holograms of ghosts! The song featured in the invitation will also be heard here, on repeat. It's a good break from the dancing and for some private conversations and moments.

Remember, costume are mandatory! you don't want to be caught by tonight's pumpkin kings, do you? ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Arr, matey. Looks like you took a bad fall.

[She snickers.]

But of course! You know, there's such a song back in Ferelden about my mother and father's first meeting.

[He laughs, trying to do the pirate voice too] Arr. Off the plank and into some sharks. Bad day, really.

[Or something like that. Honestly his story will probably change throughout the evening]

Oh really? That must've been some meeting! Going to share it?

Awful day. Sharks considered, you could look worse.

[She laughs under her breath.]

Some terrible meeting. Let's see if I can remember how it goes.

[It's been some time since she heard it. She remembers one time Fergus drunkenly belted it out at their anniversary dinner. Oh, the looks he had gotten...

Her voice, soft, begins slowly and with hesitation:]

The lion’s ships were Denerim bound
Oh, drop him, Lady, drop him!
Let the true king’s call for aid resound
Just drop him, Lady, drop him!
A soldier lad from the army came
Oh, drop him, Lady, drop him!
Leading thirty souls in Maric’s name.
Just drop him, Lady, drop him!

[It begins to come back to her more and more. Her voice picks up in pitch as she continues:]

Turn him loose and let him go
Down to the rocks and the waves below
The depths can have that scurvy knave
Just drop him, Lady, drop him!

When the soldier met the Mistral’s crew
Not a word of their great deeds he knew
And the Seawolf he took for a servant lass
Great Andraste, what an ass!

‘Fore the Seawolf’s ire, no man could stand
Soldier felt his death was close at hand
Two great steps back did he retreat
And the cliff side crumbled 'neath his feet.

[She takes a breath, exhaling gently.]

The soldier being my father, and the Seawolf my mother.

[He listens, laughing and clapping when it's over]

Wow! You're quite good! And what a tale!

What happened after that?

[She does a little bow.]

Thank you, thank you.

[At his question, she laughs a little.]

Given their situation, she barely refrained from tossing him overboard. Despite their differences, apparently they fought quite well together, and put quite a dent in the Orlesian forces. They even managed to become friends, eventually. When Orlais was driven out, they separated for a time. My father had to return my grandfather's body to Highever and instate himself as teyrn. Supposedly he wrote my mother every day.

[Honestly, they were a stupidly cute couple.]

During Maric's coronation, they met again. And my father proposed to my mother by starting to sing that shanty. By the third verse, my mother accepted his proposal on the condition that he stop and never sing it again.

[He laughs]

They sound like quite the characters, both of them! I've never heard of someone agreeing to marry someone to stop them from singing before!

They really were. [Something she didn't appreciate nearly as much until after they were gone. She wonders if it's the curse of being someone's child, the inability to really understand what you had until you lose it.] Well, I think - I hope - she would have said yes anyway. She just hurried it up so he'd shut up.

Yeah, I'm sure.

[He smiles and raises his glass (of soda) to her]

To your parents.

[She raises her glass, smiling sadly as she clinks it against his.]

To them. Maker rest their souls.

[After taking a long drink, she looks up at him.]

By the way, I owe you an apology.

[He clinks the glass and takes a long drink as well for the toast. He had a feeling they were gone, but...yeah, still sad]

Hm? An apology for what?

For doubting you when you were helping Anders and Justice.

[...]

It was understandable. There was a lot at stake.

No. You gave me your word and I still doubted. [She sighs.] Most people do not concern themselves with the well being of spirits. The Chantry often focuses on demons and how they can negatively influence mages, forgetting that there are good spirits who do not wish ill. I'd gotten used to having to try and look out for Justice from those who would mean harm - or at least not care about what happened to him.

...I get it, really Riona. You were looking out for a comrade that you're used to no one looking after.

[He can get it]

It's fine. I'm pretty used to people doubting me.

It doesn't make it right, though. [Even if he's used to it. She's not in the business of doubting people. But she let her fear get the better of her, and she hates that.] I owe you a debt that I couldn't hope to repay. You saved the lives of two of my men, when it was my own absence that got them into such a situation in the first place. But I'll do everything I can to make it up to you.

[He frowns as he listens to her words.]

...If you insist, you could please start by trying to see me as a fellow crewmate. You make it sound like you hired me.

I do see you as such. [She wears a frown to match his own.] That doesn't mean I'm not grateful for what you did. I was honestly afraid that we would have to sacrifice Justice for Anders' sake, but by doing what you did, you circumvented that. I'd feel the same if anyone - friend, stranger, family - did such a thing for me or someone I cared about.

But we're crewmates, of course I'd help. We're supposed to look out for each other, so of course I'd want to help with the important people in your life where I can.

[But he gives a sigh. He's never been great talking about the close bond stuff. So instead he decides to just smiles again]

Just...nevermind. Don't worry about it. I'm just glad I could help your comrade.

[A part of her wants to keep trying to discuss it and find common ground. She feels like she's offended him, and that's not at all what she wanted. It isn't like she doesn't get where he's coming from, but she never wants to expect anyone to help her, friend or not. Help rendered should never be taken for granted.

But perhaps that's something they will never see eye to eye on. So after a moment, she nods and smiles back.]

All right. Though, there was another thing I wanted to ask about, regarding that. You said your powers can exorcise and purify spirits, correct? Are they capable of cleansing... other things?

[...you know what, she's just gonna come out with it.]

Anders' taint is gone. He's not a Warden anymore. Given the timing, I strongly suspect what happened with Justice did that to him.

🎃 HALLOWEEN MINGLE 🎃

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I'm so sorry for the late.

no worries!