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((Henry -> Kitchen | Mordeki and Cam; Ethiriel -> seating | Zul))

With such an invitation, the nurse jumped, leaning into the window with the largest of smiles. ”Henry Knight, friend!” he called before dipping back out and kneeling down to pick up his promptly dropped things. ”I brought a grill and some ‘dogs for anyone not interested in seafood. Want me to cook ‘em up or do you guys have this kitchen on lock down?”

As soon as he had rolled around to the kitchen door, Mordekai was out and giving first call. Even just in passing the crawfish smelled fantastic and Henry was already excited.

With a short pause, the nurse watched as Cruz tagged along behind the two Cajuns, and his smile grew wider. There were so many around and each of them were different -- did Ethiriel know this one?

”Understandably,” Ethiriel hummed, not quite caring for sensory overload, herself. Already this place had too many scents in the air, a new one having been introduced with a shout, and her head turned in the general direction. It wasn’t long before her attention was caught back up in Zul and she offered a polite smile toward his earring. ”Oh,” she cooed, the smile fading just slightly – though it did not go away. ”Things are well. Sir Henry has been sure to keep me comfortable. He takes me on walks with him so that I may get some Sun – he and his girlfriend.”

”The phone is… well,” she started, reaching into the thin pocket of the dress. The fabric was much different on her skin, which was both nice and strange. Pulling out her phone, she held it out for Zul. ”You are my only contact, aside from Henry,” she said with a laugh, her voice gentle and airy.

((Wasa Food Table -> Crafts Table))

Wasa munched down each level of her fruit skewer as she sat on the ground beside the table, flipping through her pamphlet and taking note of the varied diets of the present Raevans. It was an impressive spectrum, delighting even her odd sensibilities.

She ducked her head closer to the paper then popped up like a meerkat, surveying the party from her post. An arts and crafts table? Why didn't EVERY party have one of these regardless of dietary needs? She tucked her brochure under her arm and her empty skewer behind one ear and made a quick dart across the party towards the set up.

There were people there, but her awkward interjection card was punched for today. She offered at smile and wave as she slid into an available seat and surveyed a spread as colorful and invigorating as the buffet she left behind. She quickly set to work, gathering up some pompoms and pipecleaners and twisting them into a herd of fluffy little snails.

((Approaching the food tables; Probably going to bump into someone along the way))

Oliver hadn't expected to take as much time as he had with the cooking this morning, having wanted to bring baskets of fried chicken that were as fresh as humanly possible, but as he pulled up to the street and began to unload his car, his nerves were eased. It looked as though everything was just getting started, which meant he hadn't been as tardy as he had thought. The professor heaved a sigh of relief, gathered everything he had brought, and made his way towards the tables happily.

"Hello everyone!" He greeted, pausing to adjust one of the baskets he was holding.. "I do hope I haven't missed too much! You won't believe the morning I've had!"

(( Laz : Bonfire -> Food Table | Xiu ))

Just for a moment, the chatter of the crowd was muted around him as he looked into the flames of the bonfire. Watching the fire lick around his hand and fore arm as he slowly pressed his hand into the orange flames. If one would look very closely, they could see that some of the flames would disappear at Lazarus's touch. Although of course, it was just for the briefest of moments, barely noticeable before the fire grew back with the help of oxygen.

Lazarus was brought back to reality as Xiu approached him, instinctively he withdrew his hand from the flames.

"Oh, it's... not bad." It was pretty good actually, there was a nice woody scent to the flames. He haven't had flames like this for a long while, having been feeding on stove flames for most of the past few months. However, the fire Sigel still wasn't keen to show any enthusiasm for the pot luck.

He noticed that Xiu had his own basket as well, although it was covered up unlike his own basket of fruits. Assuming these were food catered for Raevans, it should contain something that Xiu likes to eat right? "So what did you get in your basket?" Lazarus asked curiously as he floated over.

((Wasa - Arts and Crafts Table | Lulu))

At first, Wasa didn't notice the sigel settle at the table. She had an olive green snail with a tiny chenille stem straw hat, a winged lavender snail, and a cream and copper shell with several fluffy yarn tentacles stuffed in its opening. Just as she fixed a coiled white spot on a red paper mushroom her eyes slowly shifted towards the looming Raevan.

Now, she remembered Lulu. She was the first Raevan she had ever 'met' after Melisande. It was a long time ago, before she found herself a guardian to be, and was really a delightful example of why Wasa didn't excel in group settings. It was also an encounter she likely blew entirely out of proportion. Probably. Maybe.

Without a word she reached across the table and withdrew a single orange pipe cleaner from the cellophane bag. Her breath was held as she began to twist it in a tight coil around a pencil, then a finger, forming a long cone. A tuft of green yarn made a lush top to a fuzzy carrot. Holding it by the tip she offered it to the leporine Raevan, her bottom lip tucked well under her teeth in her nervousness.

((LuLu : Arts and crafts table : Domo, Lala, and Wasa ))

The sigel's lavender eyes were affixed on Wasa with a childlike curiosity that kept the gaze from turning too intense. She did not realize just how uninterrupted her gaze was until she found a pipe cleaner carrot thrust into her vision. LuLu's mouth fell open gently into a little, round "O" of awe.

The raevan snatched up the gift and placed it in the pocket of her jacket for safe keeping. Her hand brushed over the fabric covered lump with tenderness as she spoke, "Thank you Miss..." The woman seemed slightly familiar but the sigel could not upturn a name.

Her attention was soon drawn back to Domo and Lala. "I am LuLu. It is a pleasure." She could not help the upturn in her lips as she noticed the similarity between their names. At last, she took her own seat at the table.

However, unlike everyone else, she simply watched the activity. The only the she occupied her hands with was rolling a small glass bead back and forth. She always did a much better job eating creations rather than creating herself.

(( Ronan >> Mordekai, Anita, in the kitchen; Kris >> Crawfish tables and Eating ))

Ronan was completely taken off guard by Anita's reaction to the crabs and before he knew it he found himself being dragged off to the kitchen, just barely keeping up. He was more than okay with this however, the enthusiasm of the others infectious and him soon grinning ear to ear. "If I'd know it'd be this popular I would have brought more!" Seeing the prep getting started reminded Ronan of the other bundle he had in his arms, the top of the paper wrap finally slipping down to show a collection of fish staring dead eyed at the ceiling. "Do you know where I could prep these?" He showed them to Mordekai. "I can set them off to the side if it's a bit too busy right now or if you want to do them a specific way."

When the crawfish was announced as ready Kris was one of the first ones there, piling her plate high with the crustaceans and a slice of cornbread on the side. There was only a short detour to put some honey on the cornbread before she sat down and started digging in. She'd socialize with some people soon, but first things first - food.

(( Anita: Crawfish Table – Mordekai, Ronan, Henry, Cruz | food roll ))

”Live crabs!” Anita returned before taking another big bite of cornbread. Her eyes were wide and her feet stomped lightly as her cheeks puffed out while she chewed eagerly.

She made a short sound and stepped over to Cruz as Mordekai asked. Anita tried to swallow as much as she could, then tucked the rest in one cheek and pursed her lips to speak to keep any food from showing. ”Need your help, first. Can you hand these out, please?” she held out the pamphlets while practically leaning against the croc's shoulder, ”Feel like I'm about to keel over.” To explain further, she held up the twice bitten cornbread.


(( Cruz: Crawfish Table – Mordekai, Ronan, Anita → Food Tables ))

The frei gazed around at the forming group and grinned. Everyone was excited and it made his rune pulse, his ribbon dance. Even his finny-wings shivered with delight at everyone's good vibrations, which were absolutely infectious. Cheerful.

”No,” he answered Mordekai with stark wonder. His attention was quickly pulled away by his guardian and both hands extended to take the pamphlets without looking down at them. ”Yes. You eat,” Cruz rumbled pleasantly, ”I'll do this.”

Giving another grumble when he felt Anita's hand pat his shoulder, Cruz bowed his head in greeting to Ronan as he passed. His fingers idly shuffled the pamphlets in the pile, not organizing them but pulling one from the front onto the back, reordering them purposelessly. Only now was he getting a good look at the attendees and there were many he did not know, as well as a few he did. If he was to be handing these out, though, it was more likely that those he wasn't yet acquainted with had yet to receive the papers, and so he set out toward the food tables to ask around.

”Do you have one of these?” Cruz asked anyone close enough to respond, holding up one pamphlet from the collection.


(( Anita → Kitchen – Ronan, Mordekai, Duncan, Henry ))

Once Cruz was off, Anita followed the others into the kitchen. Duncan's question was given a quick nod and smile, as she saw he was on the phone. She double-taked when a third male was called over and joined the party, green streaks in his hair vibrant as anything in the Spring. It made her smirk through her food until she nearly choked at the name.

”Henwy?” she managed, embarrassingly, with a full mouth. This time Anita took care to swallow before speaking. ”Ethiriel's Henry?”