pawnstorm | housewarming ✿ open

Entry tags:

housewarming ✿ open

Who: Adra and all y'all
When: About a week after the dungeon; in the afternoon and going on until evening
Where: Adra & Gil's house
What: HOUSEWARMING MINGLE come eat the enchanted food
Rating: this is a family log

✿ THE HOUSE ✿

Adra's house is a cozy stone cottage on the outskirts of Caissa, close enough to the sea that one can hear the breaking waves throughout the day.

This afternoon, there's light, cool rain falling intermittently, tapping in a rhythm at the windows and roof. Fortunately, the kitchen is warm, bright, and welcoming. Its counters and tables are covered with freshly prepared foods of all kinds, and there are plenty of chairs for visitors who might like to sit and relax.

A door from the kitchen leads out into the garden, which is not quite yet fully landscaped, but which boasts a promising array of flowers (orchids, roses, lilies, tulips, etc) and herbs. Adra's also cultivating strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, and so on; the strawberries and cherries in particular are ripe for picking. Adra has strung enchanted, floating fairy lights all over the garden; they cast a soft, ethereal glow over the paths and carefully tended patches of greenery. At the garden's center, there's a clear pond filled with red and pink lotus blossoms.

Back inside, a visitor might like to rest in the den. There's a roaring fire in the hearth, and sitting near it for a short while offers a boost to the weary spirit. Soft, plush chairs and couches fill this room, making it ideal for lounging. The tables are covered with books borrowed somewhat indiscreetly from the library; they deal largely with the magic and history of Enprise.

Adjacent to the den is Adra's study. In here are half-empty bookshelves and antique rolling desk covered with neat stacks of papers, boxes of quills, and numerous pots of ink, each one in different, brilliant colors. His journal is somewhere here, too ...

Finally, down the hall one will find a half bathroom and, across from that, the door to the second bedroom--belonging to one Gilgamesh. The master bedroom, belonging to Adrasteius, is at the end of the hall. There's a full bath in there, but this room is definitively locked.

✿ THE SPREAD ✿

As usual, Adra's gone over the top in his preparations. For drinks, there's a sweet, refreshing punch; delicately pink and decorated with sprigs of flowers. There are pitchers of sparkling ice water, jugs of wine and spiced mead, and plenty of glasses to share.

Though Adra does not eat meat himself, he prepares it ably; there's a honey-glazed, roasted turkey in the center of the table, right beside a carving board heavy with seasoned, hand-carved slices of fresh beef. Red potatoes, bright with paprika and salt and glistening with pats of melting butter, are arranged in wedges around the turkey. There are woven baskets of steaming rolls, flaky and soft; platters of carrots and broccoli and asparagus; enormous bowls of belly-warming soup filled with thick wheat noodles, sliced egg, and shredded cabbage. At one end of the table, there's a plate of burgers, along with small dishes to fix them--bacon, crispy onions, sauteed mushrooms, and all the necessary condiments. He has plates of savory pies, filled with beef or pork or chicken; steamed and fried dumplings stuffed with meat and spring vegetables, plump and perfectly shaped.

The desserts are similarly extravagant: he has a plate of meticulously crafted flower and fruit cakes; some look like ripe, blushing peaches, others, he shaped into red orchids, lotus blossoms, or golden roses. He's made a chocolate tart so dark that its smooth, sugar-dusted surface shimmers reflectively in the overhead light. Cupcakes of all kinds are scattered here and there, as well as an extravagant, multi-tiered confection dripping with fudge sauce, encrusted with sliced strawberries and vibrantly colorful, fondant flower petals. There are loaves of warm banana bread; fruit tarts glittery with rainbow sugar crystals; and, under glass, an assortment of flavorful macarons baked to look like something plucked right from the starry sky.

But the most important thing about Adra's lavish banquet is this: all of the food is enchanted, laced with magic meant to inspire feelings of comfort and security. Eating it may conjure up familiar, welcome sensations or memories--nothing sorrowful or painful, and only as specific as you'd like. It could be something as simple as the feeling of a fuzzy blanket on a cold day, or as complex as a particular soothing memory. In all cases, the intended effect is meant to inspire calm and ease.

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[She stops her page flipping, and slowly looks up at him, baffled.]

I beg your pardon?

[What do we have marbles to trade?]

[ Bolin just laughs at her baffled expression, leaning in toward her with an obviously amused turn to his lips. ]

I'm kidding. I doubt we can do that. Is Rook the rank you would've picked for yourself though?

[ Queen isn't too bad, but he's not sure if it's what he would've picked. Granted, he's still a baby as far as magic training goes, so it's possible that he'll hit his stride. The prospect of creating laval again is fairly motivating. ]

If we could, I'm certain there would be various trades. Or ability trades.

[She rolls her eyes a little, but she uses her finger as a bookmark as she closes it. But...if she had to choose...she shrugs.]

I'm not certain? But I know I could it.

[ That gets Bolin's shoulders to slump as he exhales a sigh. ]

Where's your imagination?

...in my head?

[She stares up at him.You're confusing her again.]

...

[ He stares back at her.

And then just throws his hands up. ]

Don't act like I'm the confusing one here.

You are the confusing one!

[HUFF.]

I'm not being intentionally obtuse.

[ Looking at her suspiciously, Bolin decides that she's being honest with him. Maybe she's so tired, and her head muddled so that she's not catching his meaning. ]

What I meant was, using your imagination... what Rank would you want to be?

[Bolin is spacing things out for her. She must be tired.]

A bishop? Or a king? Something that would make it easy to poison from afar?

[She taps a finger against her chin.]

But I'm just getting the feel for spells but...I might destroy various things by accident.

....A bishop-queen?

Do you need to be a Bishop to make potions? [ He furrows his brows. ] Isn't it just like learning how to cook?

I'm not sure you have to be a Bishop for potion creation, but they'd be the best at it. [She shrugs.] Cooking isn't difficult. Cooking well is the problem.

[ Bolin stops, casting a glance toward the feast that Adra had prepared.

Yeah. ]

That's true.

[Hah.]

Not much of a cook Bolin?

[ Bolin gives her an amused look. ]

Whoa! What gives you that idea? I actually can cook! [ He'd never had anyone but Mako to cool for him for most of his life, and his brother could get busy so Bolin learned to cook for himself. ] But I can't make fancy cakes and pastries...

You were looking so longingly at the pastries, I had to wonder. [Her smile is faint, but amused. Good work Bolin.] But, neither can I.

[A beat. And:] If you wanted to grab some right now, I'm not about to stop you.

I like to eat. [ He's a growing boy!

But he does expend a lot of energy. Though Bolin is fairly carefree and easy going, he works his body quite hard. It had been made very clear to him when he'd arrived here that he wouldn't survive otherwise, after being stripped of his bending.

And a pastry certainly would be nice, but he gives Caren a look. ]

Yeah? Are you trying to get rid of me?

Most people do.

[He's a growing boy! And one that's very well muscled. Muscles that would mean that he would need to eat more, and more often. Really, he's right: he would have been better off as a tank position, unlike her. But she also knows that she won't cringe and step away when it comes to the hits.

Caren gives him a look back.]

If I was, I would have done so already. Just bring the food back.

[ He's not sure how she would've "gotten rid of him", but he supposes that he's glad that he doesn't need to find out. With an agreeable tilt of his head, he gets up to grab them more food.

Not even bother with the pretence of a napkin, he grabs a full plate or morsels before walking back to Caren. ]

Here.

[ A total gentleman, he offers the plate to Caren first. ]

[She could have been mean to him! Or done something in that manner. Or just...walked away while he went to grab something to eat.

But she doesn't. She just uses a bit of her shawl as a bookmark, before setting it beside her.]

No, thank you. Go ahead.

[She waves him off politely, motioning for him to eat. He's a gentleman, but she's being weird about the food. She might grab some punch or water later.]

Why did you ask me to bring some back then?

[ He looks a little puzzled, but doesn't fight her on it, instead helping himself to one of small, savoury pies. ]

So you can eat and talk.

[She raises her eyebrows.]

Consider it an empathic overture.

Really?

[ He's all jolly good demeanour as he addresses her, brimming with contentment.

Of course, he is. He's in a warm home, surrounded by people that he likes, sampling great food. His mood is ridiculously cheerful. ]

So you do like me? [ Staring right at her. ] Are we friends?

[Caren stares at him for a few moments, blinking. Bolin is...clearly drunk on having a good time.

She huffs softly, before leaning back a little.]

What do you think we are Bolin?

[ That deserves an honest answer, so he purses his lips to think about it. ]

Maybe, co-workers? [ Of the army type, like his friends back in Kuvira's army.

But that's not all, and he juts out a hand, fingers held straight a karate chop going forward. ]

On the way to becoming friends.

[Okay, comrades, she can deal with that. But she starts a little at the karate chop before...she shakes her head at him a little. He's so baffling sometimes.]

It may be accurate. Though you don't want to be a friend like myself. That's treacherous.

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caren looks like such a mean girl in that icon

clearly someone didn't wear pink that day

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