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[[ Domevlo --> Crafts Table | Xiu & Lala ]]

"Bookstore? Domo has not been there. Directions are required from Xiu before one can visit." He informed but gave a happy nod in return, "Domo will most definitely visit. Books are sort of a thing for the guardian Thanatos. He likes to read, Domo might purchase some for present." This was good, kill two birds with one stone. Gliding with purpose along side the sigel, Domo continued to feed from the lead alloy that was slowly dissolving in his hands. The other snacks he had taken from the table had already been absorbed into his body, providing much needed nourishment. As they moved away from the food table and toward the crafts table, Domo noticed that the other occupants had slowly made their way elsewhere. With a sigh he looked upon the sigel and back to the table noting his guardian's little sister was still hard at work folding paper crafts. With an excited lithe to his voice he pointed the young girl out. "That one is Domo's. She's really nice and pretty, lives with Domo and Thanatos now!" Turning to Lala he waved the girl down. "Lala! You meet with Domo's friend Xiu yes?"

The girl in question was making yet another paper creation when she heard her name called. Looking up she saw Domo and another perhaps older Raevan if having more of a torso were any indication. These Raevan's were fascinating creatures no doubt. Standing to her feet she dusted off her skirts. "I wouldn't dream of turning your friend down, little knight." Turning her gaze to Xiu she gave a cute little curtsy. "Nice to meet you friend, I'm LaMarie Lauren but please call me Lala."

(( rolling for Domo ))

((Pasha -Zul, Eth, Wasa, Cesc))

Pasha's enthusiasm subsided a bit at Zul's cool response. She took a closer look at the other Sigel, blue eyes searching his for a moment. "Are you sure you two don't want to come?"

The Muse's soft question trailed off, her arm slipping free so she could smooth her skirt out of habit. Perhaps she was making Eth feel left out? That would be in poor form, but she'd already signed up with Cesc. She glanced to Wasa for a moment, and her smile flickered back to life as she noted the Artist nibbling at her corn. Everyone was their own person…she couldn't expect the Demon to be as excited as she was about everything. Her expression was bright again by the time she looked back to Zul.

"If you have something else in mind, I'd love to try that, as well." Give the Muse the remote, and she got a little over enthusiastic picking the station…but if there was something else Zul would like to do, she would gladly participate. He knew Eth better than she, and any activity that involved the all of them sounded better than not!

(( Cruz: Food tables w/ Axel, Ekundayo, Isobel ))

The croc smiled pleasantly at Axel and nodded. It had certainly been a long time since they'd last seen each other, Cruz's clearest memory being the hedge maze. Had that truly been the last time? Perhaps he'd seen her in passing at some other function, like the Christmas party a few months back. At any rate, it was entirely too long and his rune was pulsing with delight at getting to remedy the situation.

At the news of her already receiving a pamphlet, Cruz tucked them back away. As far as he could tell, it was a good thing if people he checked on didn't need them. If they already had them that meant Anita or Duncan had already passed enough out, that was fine.

”Iso-bel,” Cruz intoned curiously, though as soon as he did he heard his name not far off. Dayo's presence brightened his features immensely and the croc rose an inch or so further from the ground. ”Hello,” he purred low, stretching his arms out in offering of a hug to the feathery frei. His rune pulsed even more excitedly, fading in and out of its glow with a quick and steady rhythm. ”Good to see you.”

Before his greeting could be properly finished, another frei drifted close and touched Axel's arm with understood familiarity. Cruz gently rested a hand between Ekundayo's wings and turned her toward Axel and Isobel, offering both a kind and toothy smile.

” 'Kundayo, this is Ms. Axel,” he gestured with the pamphlets to the human woman, then brought the small collection in front of Dayo for her to pluck one, ”She's very nice.”. The croc's gaze shifted to the colorful frei, his eyes alight with curiosity. ”Isobel?” he asked, hope clear in his voice, ”I'm Cruz.”

(( Zul → Seating with Ethiriel, Cesc, Melisande, Wasa ))

Glancing to the Frei at his side, he couldn't help but try to give her a reassuring smile, knowing that it would go unseen anyway. "Perhaps next time, we'll look into the rules and see if we can't figure out how to make it work for you, Ethiriel." Zul was sure there was a way to include the Frei, but he wasn't sure she wanted to partake anymore than he did.

Turning back to the Muse, his attention was momentarily swallowed by the hold of her eyes. The very idea of letting her go without his company was almost appalling, but he had to remind himself she'd come in the company of another, and he was not required for her to enjoy herself. The demon found himself at a sort of internal war with his possessiveness of the other Sigel. "We'll be fine," he tried to assure the Muse in a way he could not with Ethiriel, his smile intact. "I've more a mind to catch up with friends than anything. I know the party is with intent for fun, but...this is what makes me happy." Being with his loved ones, their company...he didn't need games to enjoy himself. He played enough games when he was alone, every sleepless night.

Tilting his tri-horned head, he regarded the nervous human for a moment. "Lab-planned activities rarely pan out the way they are intended." One side of his smile hiked higher than the other, his dry sense of humor showing. Glancing to Cesc as well, he bowed his head. "Luckily this is no such thing. While I welcome the company of a friend of my - friends," there was just a slight pause in the word, "I would not keep you from your enjoyment. Please, if you've games to attend, enjoy yourselves. Ethiriel and I will be about and receive you upon your triumphant return."

(( Laz : Seating near Crawfish table | Cam ))

He had always been kind of fascinated by wars and most of the stories that he had read or watched from TV. Although he doesn't have the intention to be directly phisycally involved in one, they have enough of their own drama to handle as is.

Red eyes widen at the question about the ribbons. He supposed it's only fair that he answer it, since Cam did answered his question on the phantom limb after all. "Well, I can't really feel a whole lot from the ribbons, unlike skin. I guess it's kind of like hair or fingernail? It's like it's part of your body, you can feel when it brushed against something, or when it's trailing on the ground. But I don't really feel pain, coldness or other sensories like the skin does." That was a little longer than expected, but he hoped that Cam could understand.

Lazarus smiled gratefully when Cam showed him how to eat the claws. As he sucked out the meat from within, he realized that he felt kind of full already. As he should! The Sigel was mildly surprised at the pile of crawfish shells piled before him. He and Cam had ate up ten, maybe fifteen crawdads? He just ate and ate as they chat, and didn't really paid much attention. As he added the claw's shell to the pile, he felt a gurgling sensation came up his throat and he let out a loud burp.

Feeling embarrassed, his face was a slightly darker shade and he covered his mouth. "I'm sorry." He chuckled softly. "I have to excuse myself a bit, I want to grab some mango juice from inside. Do you want some? Or more beer and crawfish?" He figured he should offer as he began to get up.

((Cesc --> Wasa, Anita, Zul, Eth, Melisande; Shep --> Trox | roll for food!))

Cesc was busy taking the last pinch of carrot cake, listening to his friends speak, when he could not help but let out a faint laugh. He covered his mouth, conscious of being impolite, and let his eyes do the laughing for him.

"The Maze!" he said with some fondness. It had been rough going then but ever since the jungle, the maze felt more and more like pie. And he'd gotten so many friends, so many fond memories, from that garden party. "I remember it well -- I saw you there, Wasa -- and a unicorn in the maze. It was my first meeting with so many." He smiled a broad smile at Melisande and pantomimed straightening a tie.

He turned to Zul, about to continue, when a dark-haired girl in pigtails darted through, eager for his attention. He recognized her from earlier, and from the jungle. Sweet leaf, she called Ethiriel.

"What a charming nickname," he commented, pleased.

* * *

Shepard's expression twisted slightly, and he looked at Troxel with some respect. His own displeasure was mirrored in the older man's expression. "I'm glad they had someone there who'd been through some s**t," he said, shaking his head. "But if you ask me, they had way too few of your type. My guy, Cesc -- the one with the antlers, over there -- he came back a bloody mess. He found the doctor, y'know, but when I saw him I wasn't too sure it was worth it."

He held up a hand. "Not to take anything away from the doctor. Just felt like too close a call, you know?"

The Aussie sighed, but tried to buoy his mood. "Y'taking care of someone here, yourself?"

(( Zul → Seating with Ethiriel, Cesc, Wasa, Anita ))

At the sound of Anita's voice, the demon turned almost immediately, delicately bringing Ethiriel with him in the gesture. Zul's expression lit considerably and, with a gentle, "A moment, Ethiriel?," he disentangled their arms and instead held the Frei's hand for a moment, freeing him to greet the human. And greet her, he did, twining his free arm around her shoulders in a friendly embrace, gently nosing into her wild dark hair and pressing a platonic kiss to her cheek. "My'nita," he combined the words in his joy to see her, letting her go with a brief squeeze of her shoulder. Settling back at Ethiriel's side, he again retook her arm against his own, threading their fingers together on his forearm in apology for having let her go for that time.

Like Cesc, he wore an amused expression at the nickname coined, nodding his agreement to the stag's comment. "Agreed. I may have to borrow that, if Ethiriel doesn't mind." The demon chuckled low, hardly enough for even the Frei near him to hear. Zul turned to glance at Melisande, but found the Sigel was absent. He was surprised she was just suddenly...gone, but she did mention the games. Setting aside his feelings on the matter, he tipped his head to the remaining folk. "I see you've met the lovely Ethiriel. Have you met Rhedefre?" His blue eyes turned to the stag in question. "He is one of the lights of my days." And certainly not to be rude, the demon bowed his head to the other human in their midst. "And this is Wasa, a friend of Melisande, if you know her. Cesc, Wasa, this is Anita, a most wondrous woman who is the caretaker of Cruz, if you've met him. I've known her since I was a Frei and like to think I'm partly related by association to his creation." It was vague, but he smiled all the same, a slight mischievous glint in his eye.