Derrick wasn't sure why he was here in the first place. After all, he wasn't really one for plants, though he could appreciate them. But the weather was getting colder and he had been doing a bit less parkour because of the temperature and so he was either stuck inside or going to an indoor archery range. And with staying inside meant he felt a little too cramped, so when the opportunity for an event popped up for him to go to, AND with free food, well how could he resist?
Though it had been a bit hard to get the costume together, he had managed it somehow at the last minute and had made his way. Though he saw that he could have done without it, but he was here already, why worry about it?
He saw quite a few people who seemed like they belonged to somewhat fancy events like these, and couldn't help but feel a bit out of place. Though there was one thing in common with everyone as he made his way to the buffet table, even if he didn't find anyone to talk to, he could at least have a semi-decent meal.
Yuuri knew by this point that Adrien wasn’t really upset by his comment and that it was just Adrien exaggerating. It was somewhat endearing.
The quick kiss to his cheek had his face heating, and he stared at Adrien in surprise, and then glanced around at the people nearby. He was trying not to be so embarrassed about public displays of affection, and he was trying by allowing Adrien to hold his hand, but it was a slow process.
“Yes, please,” he mumbled somewhat flusteredly, glad that the subject shifted to getting a drink and maybe some food. That was always a good way to pass the time.
“I’m surprised you didn’t want to dress up,” Yuuri admitted as he glanced up at his boyfriend, ignoring the heat in his face. “I mean… I’m glad you didn’t. I would feel like I stuck out too much if I was the only one, but…”
”I’m not giving you any look,” Michael scowled, not looking at Caspian but ahead to where there were some plants covered in fake spiderweb, and a giant spider hiding in the leaves with glowing eyes.
“I wasn’t the one stuck in the house. That was you. You’re the one who got hurt and needed to recover, not me,” he pointed out, still feeling uneasy for no real reason that he could put his finger on. Maybe he was just a horribly pessimistic person by nature and everything was bound to go to s**t no matter what.
Why Ilian thought that both Lovely and Seth could be mature adults, he had no idea. He stared first at Lovely, and then at Seth, giving them both an unimpressed look.
Lovely was complaining about how he was being introduced as someone he was recruited with, and in response to Seth he said, “It’s actually Jones now.” Ilian held up his left hand, showing off the silver ring with a single square aquamarine, at the same time he turned to frown at Lovely.
“Maybe you should spar sometime and see who’s better,” Ilian suggested, still frowning at Lovely because he knew very well that Seth was a skilled fighter. Lovely, on the other hand… well, Ilian couldn’t remember the last time he saw Lovely actually practice.
“You both know how to fence, right? Maybe we can set something up.”
Chris laughed, although it was soft, and smiled brighter at the suggestion of him keeping his facial hair, as much as he felt as though he should shave it. He wasn’t sure he was able to pull it off very well.
“Do you like it that much? I think it makes me look silly,” he smiled, not at all minding the pat to his face. “Come on, there’s food. There’s punch. I think I saw some people with wine if you want me to find you some,” he offered, reaching down to take hold of Paris’s hand so he could loop it under his arm with the hook for her to hold onto.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been on a date. Might as well make the most of it! No kids to worry about. And if anything happens we can just hide in the shrubs or something,” he said, glancing down at her knowingly. “You’ve been jumpy. Things aren’t always horrible. Allie and I were fine after that whole mirror thing. If she and I could handle that, we can handle anything, baby.”
The familiar voice had Peter looking behind him in surprise. It wasn’t often that Haven had time to go to events like this. That’s what happened when one was training to be an Olympic skater. So when he saw her he couldn’t help but grin.
“Haven,” he said, smiling dumbly, turning around so he could get a better look at her. “It’s good to see you. How are you?” he asked, figuring that he should probably respond with a clever quote like she approached him with, but everything seemed to disappear from his head in that moment.
Not only that, but he caught sight of someone else he knew a little ways behind her. Vi didn’t seem as though he was with anyone that night, and he was sure Haven wouldn’t mind meeting one of his friends, right?
“Vi!” he called, lifting a hand to try and wave his friend down, before glancing back to grin at Haven. “He’s a friend,” he explained to his childhood rival, taking a step towards where Vi was, dressed in his Link outfit.
“Haven, this is Vi. Vi, this is Haven,” he introduced quickly, and feeling thrilled that his friends were meeting each other. “Haven and I lived across the street from each other most of our lives. And Vi I met this summer.”
She didn't seem quite as smitten with him as she should have. Well, no matter; Steele hastily wiped the disappointment from his face and supplied the woman with what he knew perfectly well was one of his best smoldering smiles, all charm and perfect teeth (they better damn well be perfect after how much he'd spent on them).
"I'm here to meet new people, of course!" said Steele brightly. "And to make lasting connections that will benefit both me and whomever I'm speaking with! It's always important to make good connections!"
He held out a hand, positively sparkling.
"My name's Steele Moore. And to what do I owe the pleasure of your radiant company?"
Seiana_ZI
Basil Whybourne ( dressed as his usual self, in nice slacks, button down, and vest )
The laugh made him feel very slightly warm, which was surprising, if only because Basil's general stoic, passive expressions rarely changed from anything other than that. He couldn't quite figure out if the reaction was embarrassment or maybe just annoyance; it was difficult to tell, so he dismissed it almost as easily as it had come.
"Some people believe plants can be sentient," Basil informed the man. "But I don't really buy it. Plants are just plants. They can't tell you if they're hungry or if they need to use the restroom, or if they dislike your sweater, so I'm inclined to believe they're just plants."
The offered hand took a moment to register. Basil lifted his own after a hesitation and accepted it, giving it a small squeeze.
"Basil Whybourne," he said. "I don't think I've met you before."
As usual, it was said with his regular simple, factual candor.
Yuuri was really, really too cute, even with his attempts at fending off public displays of affection. It sort of made Adrien want to poke and prod until he saw that blush again, but that would have been mean, so instead he just settled for squeezing his hand again and resisting the urge to bring it up to his lips to press a kiss.
At least Yuuri had agreed to come out with him, which was always a bonus. Yuuri received a radiant smile.
"I almost did, maybe next time," said Adrien with a sigh. "I ran out of time to get dressed, and besides, the rain would have ruined everything, anyway, so I'm okay with this."
"You're giving me that 'my husband's being a stubborn brat' look," said Caspian, without heat, glancing around the room for anyone else he might know. He kept his arm around Michael's waist, leaning against him with a familiarity that suggested he'd been doing it for a long time.
He shot Michael a look and rolled his eyes. "Yes, I forgot, silly me, I got stabbed," said Caspian dryly. "I'm fine. And everything will be fine, cheer up Sir GrumpyPants. Not everything is all gloom and doom."
"I doubt you have. I just moved back to the area from Cali." He smiled, hand lingering on Basi's just a little longer than necessary. He shouldn't be flirting with strangers but he couldn't help himself. It was like breathing.
"Just because they don't communicate in the same ways we do doesn't make them not possibly sentient. Plants can communicate with each other and bandanna trees walk." There were definitely air quotes around that 'walk' but that didn't make it any less true.
Shikora, for a moment, shifted and placed one hand under her chest, the other under her chin, pondering. There was no way he had that sunny of a disposition. It's always important to make good connections? How old was he? This wasn't a networking event--
She shook her head silently, and moved to return the handshake.
"The pleasure of my company? You're the one who walked over here, not me, Steele." Shikora quirked a brow, smirking just a tad as she pulled her hand away. The smirk fell from her face rather quickly, though, and her expression went back to being fairly neutral. It was an expression she was rather trained in, all things considered. "My sibling convinced me to go somewhere. This event seemed fine."
Julian sincerely hoped things weren't going to be creepy and scary here. The scratches on the roof was more than enough for him. The invitation to the botanical garden sounded like a fun idea, and with Delilah's blessing, he dressed up in something cute instead of scary. He'd spent too much time as something scary... His fluffy brown shirt complimented the makeup Delilah had taught him to do, along with fluffy bear ears on a headband.
"What do you think... is this just a party? I mean... I don't mind parties. It's not too cold out, so that's good. Do you think they'll have real food, instead of candy? Too much candy will make your stomach upset." Sage advice from Ginger. With a confident nod, Julian smiled.
Kapoodles
Whenever you have time!
Sirene_Naiads
Same with you!
Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 6:33 pm
Character’s name:Richard Arra Bell Age: 24 Appearance: tall and lanky--though finally sort of maybe starting to fill out--with medium-dark olive skin, a sharp nose, and very long, wavy auburn hair kept in a loose braid Personality Traits: (+) honest, optimistic, congenial /// (-) gullible, flighty, dogged
Richard really, honestly, loved the botanical gardens. They were someplace he liked to come for studying when the weather was nice. Flowers made it easier to sit through the tedium of statistics--"sadistics"--and finance. He could even go for a light jog through them if he wanted, mindful of others of course, with taped lectures playing on his earphones. So hearing of this event meant that of course he got involved. Fun things and the gardens?
Excellent. Of course he was here.
Even the rain hadn't dampened his spirits at all. It was only rain, after all. It wasn't like he was made of sugar. His costume was weather-proof enough, being only a "back of the closet" budget vampire getup complete with polyester cape, and he milled around the hall only slightly damp from having been caught by surprise by the rain outside. Pushing some of the free snacks into his mouth, Richard rolled onto the balls of his feet to get a better look over the crowd. He could go look at the presentations, he mused, or he could try to see if anyone he knew was here. Maybe someone from the university?
Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he swung around to head back toward the refreshments, snagging a bottle of water and pausing briefly to observe one of the presentations going on. Should he buy some raffle tickets? He had some cash on him, so he could if he wanted. Richard thought this over as he tugged absently at the cuffs of his shirt. He didn't really like tight clothing, but he figured some old formal clothes with the cheapest polyester cape imaginable would be close enough.
He couldn't do anything about slicking his hair back for that shiny gelled black widows' peak look, really, but he'd at least tightened the braid and gelled down the edges along his hairline. Even if the gel made his skin feel sticky, he'd get used to it. It was only for tonight, anyway. He'd sprung for the good silicone fangs as opposed to the cheap hard white plastic ones, though, because he really didn't feel like having the plastic cut his mouth open.
Silicone was more flexible than the hard plastic anyway, and they both tasted weird as it was.
He ran his tongue absently over the fangs as he stopped to watch another presentation. He was unable to help rocking back and forth from heel to toe a bit as he stood there, quietly amused by the creaking feeling the imitation leather gave when he moved. Waving congenially and flashing a quick, friendly smile at a couple people standing nearby, though he didn't actually know them, Richard wandered back towards the windows to see if the rain had stopped yet. The darkness outside, though, made it hard to see anything due to the lights inside, and there was too much noise for him to really hear if the rain had stopped. He assumed that they would be directed outside when it was time, and turned away from the window to go back to the festivities.
Once again, he scanned the crowd for anyone he might know, nodding his head in greeting to anyone he didn't know whose eyes he met. Speaking of anyone he might know... Ignacio had come with him... where in the world had he slipped off to?
Quote:
Anyone's free to come up and say hi!
Amasis
Everyday Blob
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kuropeco
Dramatic Marshmallow
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 6:35 pm
Basil Whybourne ( dressed as his usual self, in nice slacks, button down, and vest )
"A ways away," said Basil, not noticing the lingering hand, because, well. He was Basil. But he did like the warmth of the other man's fingers on his, even if it wasn't a sensation he was at all familiar with - at least, not until recently.
No, he wasn't going to think of Arachne here, although not thinking about him was proving spectacularly more difficult than Basil was used to. He tilted his head, regarding Lysander with a mixture of curiosity and a touch of surprise, brows still raised in a quizzical expression.
"Do you actually believe that there are sentient plants?" Basil asked, not mockingly, but with genuine interest. "I've heard of the bandanna trees 'walking,' that's a natural phenomenon."
Steele put a hand to his chest in mock outrage. "My dear lady, I was very clearly drawn to you from across the room, I had to come and say hello, which means that I'm the one that's gifted by your presence, not the other way around - although, if I do say so myself, I am excellent company."
The grin was nice - he'd managed that much, at least. But then it was back to staring mutely at him, and inwardly he sighed, Steele mentally giving himself one point and the woman two on the chalkboard inside of his head.
"It's a lovely event, I'm sure, see? There are beautiful plants and beautiful people - " Another charming grin. " - I'm sure you could make the most of it, even if you didn't want to be here in the first place"
"Sure, why not? Just because they don't communicate or interact with the world the same way animals do doesn't mean they can't be." He walked over and brushed his fingers against the fern lightly. "There's all sorts of really cool studies that have been done on plants. Not at all my realm of expertise but."
He did like to read and Lysander had always thought learning a little about everything was good.
"If i remember correctly plants communicate with chemicals, they know when they've been touched and I think there was some study that found out they can remember stuff too."
kuropeco
Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 7:06 pm
Lovely Belrose (dressed as Ghost the direwolf — tight white leather pants, white fur lined boots, a sleeves white top with an attached hood, complete with wolf ears, and a pair of white, fingerless, furry wolf paw gloves. He even took the time to apply red eyeliner.)
Lovely had every intention of letting the wrong name slip by without comment. It wasn’t anyone’s business anyway. He smacked Ilian’s hand down when Ilian drew attention to the ring. s**t like that made this arrangement seem sappier than it was.
Besides, he had more important concerns.
“Thank ******** your opinion’s worth s**t,” Lovely said, glaring darkly at Seth.
He rolled his eyes at Ilian, then turned his attention to his plate of food, which he deemed far more interesting than this conversation or their present company.
“I’m not going to waste my time sparring with him,” he argued, shoving a mini sausage into his mouth with a toothpick. “If he comes at me, I’m stabbing him in the ******** face.”
“I’m not going to hide in the shrubs if something happens,” Paris said. She tried to make herself sound exasperated, but the amused smile on her face probably ruined the effect. “You and your bleeding heart morals have rubbed off on me too much for that. Or I’m just not as much of a heartless b***h as I always assumed I was.”
Sighing lightly, Paris leaned against Chris, holding onto his arm and dropping her head onto his shoulder for a moment as they began to make their way toward some of the food and beverages. At least Chris appeared to be in good spirits. That wasn’t out of character for him, of course, but it was a rare thing these days for him to be so energetic and upbeat. It was almost like having him whole again.
“Things are always horrible,” she said. “You know they are. Just because you were fine after the mirrors doesn’t mean you’ll be fine after the next crisis.”
Paris paused to lift her head again, showing Chris a flat look with a raised brow. “Are you trying to butter me up with your optimism so I don’t harass you about getting trapped in a mirror for days?”
“I’m fine,” Haven replied to Peter’s question a little awkwardly. She might have added more if she wasn’t a bit thrown by the dumb smile. She felt like she should try to return it, but she wasn’t one to smile often and she thought it might come across a bit stiff if she tried. Her expression remained rather blank as a result, and she said, more coolly than she intended, “It’s not like we don’t see each other anymore.”
Fortunately, Peter was distracted by someone else, so there was a chance he wouldn’t notice or comment on it at all.
Haven quickly examined Peter’s new friend. She shifted on her feet — nervous, hating it, and trying to disguise it. She didn’t dislike people and she didn’t consider herself to be a timid person, but she also didn’t have as much practice as she probably should when it came to interacting with people around her age in this sort of social setting. She was aware that she could seem cold and distant. She didn’t want to come off as rude.
“Nice to meet you,” she said. She put more of an effort into infusing her voice with some warmth as she held out her hand. “How did you meet, exactly?”
Quickly, she shot Peter a curious look that clearly meant “so is he powered, too?”
musicaloner7
Sunshine Alouette
Eternal Senshi
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kuropeco
Dramatic Marshmallow
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 7:13 pm
Seth Volkov ( dressed as a demon, complete with horns and tail in a black skintight, sleeveless turtleneck shirt and black pants with black boots )
A flicker of something like ice flickered briefly across Seth's face at the ring. He glanced at it, a muscle in his jaw tensing, then eased it all away underneath a silken smile, Seth's eyes hooded as he gave the other a deliberate once over.
"If you vanted to slum, you could haff picked anyone," said Seth airily to Ilian. "But I suppose if you vanted someone childish, to each their own."
He fluttered his lashes deliberately at Lovely, the anger simmering low, unseen and unheard by anyone but himself, curling in the pit of his stomach for reasons not even related to the two in front of him.
"Please do. I vould love to see you try so hard," said Seth with a long suffering sigh. "I am sorry you feel need to overcompensate."
Of course he thought he was excellent company. Fit the profile.
She tilted her head when he said beautiful people--he was definitely still trying to flirt with her, not just make friendly connections--but she didn't say anything at first. That was, until he said making the most of it.
She turned her attention back to the food table. "I mean, there's free food here, so I think this was an okay choice." As she said this, she bent down to put some appetizers on a plate. "Always nice to not have to make something myself."
She notably didn't mention the people as being a plus.
Where Ignacio had headed should have been relatively obvious, really.
The surgical mask was pulled down from his face, as he stood by the side of the snacks and munched down on some candy--even if it was meant for the kids, he had taken some for himself. He loved candy and he loved Halloween mostly for that reason. Well, he also liked dressing up too. Admittedly, he aspired to be able to completely disguise himself, but he wasn't that good. Yet.
This time, he had chosen to dress as a creepy surgeon, fake blood stains on his cap and his surgical gown and all. Plus, it kept his body mostly covered from head to toe, which mostly avoided anyone who knew him from his acting career.
He was just there to have fun.
Spotting Richard at a distance just looking around, he lifted a gloved hand and waved, but didn't call to him. He was interested to see if Richard would find him first.
Amasis
Seiana_ZI
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kuropeco
Dramatic Marshmallow
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 7:16 pm
Basil Whybourne ( dressed as his usual self, in nice slacks, button down, and vest )
Basil considered this for one of his usual long moments of silent contemplation that likely stretched on longer than it should have, especially considering that he was with company. At length, he said slowly, "Well, I suppose that's...one way of looking at things. I'm admittedly not well-versed in flora and fauna, so I suppose I should leave it to the experts."
He reached out a hand, idly smoothing fingers along the petals of a nearby plant sitting next to the fern, Basil frowning in thought.
"That's bizarre. I can't imagine how they'd communicate that."