[PQ+] I'm talking drink, dance, smoke, freak, party all night

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

Having spent the first two parts of his Town Quest tasting cakes and arranging menus, Ronin at first feels like he ought to have tucked the linen shop somewhere in between; as he glances up at Weave Got You Covered, it's with mild disappointment that none of the linens will be edible. Still, with a soft sigh and the knowledge that the sooner this is done the sooner he can hole himself up for the rest of Leafchange, he pushes open the door.

And is greeted with silence, or so it seems.

"Hello?" he calls, having to strain to hear the muffled cries for help, eventually following them to the man trapped in the linen igloo. The Knight quickly helps to free him, fetching a pitcher of water and a seat for Mr. Krabs, before proceeding to refold his linens while they chat.

He settles, ultimately, on a pale seafoam colour - not enough to be too in-your-face given the other bright luau colours, but not plain either.

---

Ronin helps out Mr. Krabs and chooses pale seafoam green linens!

THE WHITE KNIGHT

and continue fighting

Kaisel

Sohalia ’s selections at the balloon store, Air Apparent, are jotted down and fulfilled, promising the balloon arch to be delivered before the party started. Most of the single-strand balloons though, she could take home with her in an uplifting bouquet.

Ronin ‘s assistance with Mr. Krabs earns the shopkeep’s gratitude and a small discount on the linen rental. Although Ronin selects the color and can take it home with him now, the shopkeep ends up packing him a higher-end version of the chosen color, going with a danmask material at no extra charge.

Kaisel has to work hard to secure Edward’s focus long enough to explain the birthday party and the Queen of the hour. Edward, unimpressed by the royal flair, is only interested in the chaotic potential as Kaisel lists off design ideas. After some back and forth and head shaking, they land on a wave breaking around a tumsea. Content with the delivery being set in time for the party, Kaisel hurries home as well.

The time in town was important, but had chewed through a chunk of their day. Breathless, Kaisel glances around at the still very ordinary looking Wildering house, feeling suddenly less accomplished then he had a moment ago. ”Right,” he says, glancing about at team birthday, mission A.R.I.S.E. still in its infancy. ”Updated invites sent out, band settled, and ice sculpture coming. I’m thinking of setting it up near the bar, because it will have a base to chill drinks. How’d the rest of you fare?”

---

Arrive home and share what you selected, then begin to plan or sketch out the party flow and thus where decorations should go.

Wanted me to fail out of spite, I didn't
All bark but they don't bite, they timid

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

Bidding a fond farewell to Mr. Krabs and being careful with the linens he's been packed to take them back to Wildering House, when Ronin ambles back through the doors he looks as if he's been shopping (i.e. as well as the linens, he's also brought some iced coffees with him). Getting out some of his pent-up energy out has also clearly left him in a slightly better mood, because as he sets down the linens and offers out the coffees, he glances over the space with quiet enthusiasm.

"The catering is in hand and the cake is ordered, and I brought the table linens back with me," he explains, pausing to slurp at his coffee before continuing. "The bar is a good idea. Will you be opening the doors up to let it flow out towards the pool? There's another bar out there so we can have two bases, potentially. Maybe have the cake set up near the entrance so people can see it as they walk inside?" Unless Kai wants to keep that a surprise for Flora.

---

Ronin tells all and wonders whether the party might flow out into the pool area to make use of the outside bar too. He also suggests having the cake set up near the entrance.

THE WHITE KNIGHT

and continue fighting

As the sky opens up and pulls me in
I can see, I can breathe, I can feel again

Sohalia arrived shortly after Ronin, grinning widely at the two men as she carefully tied her balloons off. She was pleased to see that the courier she’d flagged down had already delivered the candles and tiki torches, and after Ronin had shared his accomplishments, Soh listed hers. ”Candles and lighting is here, decor should be shortly - I went with a sort of elegant luau theme, hope that’s okay - and these are the single-strand balloons. A balloon arch should be delivered soon - they just had to blow up all the balloons for it.”

Listening intently to Ronin’s suggestions, she nodded along. ”I like the idea of the cake taking center stage,” she agreed. ”If we’re going to have two bases of operation, maybe the centerpiece I ordered should be central to the other? It would probably go best near the food…” Already envisioning trays of delicious food spread out around the decor she’d picked out, Soh practically vibrated with excitement.

—-

Soh agrees with Ronin, and suggests her floral/floating votive centerpiece go near the food.

And I'll wave goodbye to the ones below
As I float on by to the great unknown

Sohalia

Kaisel

Against better judgment, Kaisel takes the caffeinated drink, figuring he needs all the speed boost he can get. Nodding in thanks to the Knight, he sips with no accountability for the longevity of said beverage, glancing up at the balloons Soh deposits carefully, and the other delivered goods. It’s a relief to hear everyone’s been successful, and now all that remains is tying it all into one finished product.

Squinting over rooms and furniture as both Ronin and Soh describe potential flow and needs, Kaisel hums amid his sips. ”Using both bars is best I think, I’m not sure how many people will come, but I’m certain Flora basically knows everyone in Caido and is friends with nearly half of them, so, a lot.” Meaning, more stations to hydrate (or dehydrate?) to avoid crowds and grumpy attitudes. ”And some people might want to use the pool and hot tub. It does go with a luau.” Although they’re all spoiled in Torchline with access to it or the ocean all the time, other guests might find it a special treat to indulge in.

”Maybe station the food in-between the indoor and outdoor bar, but set up all the tables inside, that way the outside can house the band and dancing, and the inside can be a calmer escape. I also don’t expect people to all sit down at the same time, more of a serve yourself sort of deal.” This would not be running on a set itinerary. He wanted everyone to just enjoy themselves at their own pace, so long as they had all the means to do so. ”So yes, I think keep the cake visible by the entrance, and we’ll light the candles and blow them out before everyone’s too drunk to stand.”

He slurps at his drink, but it comes up empty. Frowning, he rattles what’s left and takes the last few drops. ”So, I think we start by moving the furniture around.”

---

Take your pick
1. Set up the outdoor space by moving large furniture inside, and keeping a few seats and cocktail tables outside.
2. Set up the indoor eating tables by clustering tables and chairs together into little islands, keeping a clear walkway outdoors.
3. Get the indoor and outdoor bars ready. Account for where people should line up if it gets crowded.

Wanted me to fail out of spite, I didn't
All bark but they don't bite, they timid

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

Nodding along with his straw in his mouth as he slurps his iced coffee, Ronin glances between the indoor bar and the pool area as if already able to envision what Kai has in mind. "I'll take the outside," he volunteers immediately. "If there's bigger items of furniture out there I should be pretty useful wrangling them inside." Finishing his coffee in record time - like the soldier, evidently having little care for how much caffeine he's ingesting and how quickly - Ronin puts himself to work.

He leaves the doors to the pool area propped open - likely how things will be during the party too, he imagines - first arranging the cocktail tables and seating that will remain out before starting to tackle the other furniture. Sun loungers, extra seating and a few of the more sentimental pool inflatables (yes, there is such a thing, and Ronin's flamingo ring is one of them) all get ferried inside and put out of the way wherever Kai directs them. Once he's finished, he arranges the remaining tables and seats into something that looks acceptable for people milling around at a party.

---

Ronin takes 1!

THE WHITE KNIGHT

and continue fighting

As the sky opens up and pulls me in
I can see, I can breathe, I can feel again

Soh had accepted one of the iced coffees with a smile for Ronin, but she wasn’t particularly thirsty; instead, when Kaisel came up empty on his drink, she raised a brow and silently plucked it from his hand, switching the two cups and depositing his used one in a nearby trash can. With Ronin occupied outside, Soh smiled at Kai. ”Water after that one, yeah?” she suggested with a wink. ”I’ve got the tables.”

And then she was off, pushing and pulling tables until they were set up just so, clustered on either side of a clear walkway to the pool area. Chairs were distributed quickly and efficiently to each round table. Several long, rectangular tables were set up along a wall - buffet tables, where they could set up the food and people could serve themselves. Soh left a little extra room around those, hoping that it would be enough to account for any lines forming.

—-

Soh takes 2!

And I'll wave goodbye to the ones below
As I float on by to the great unknown

Sohalia

Kaisel

Watching Ronin depart outdoors to swiftly tackle the flow of furniture and guests out there, Kaisel glances back as his drink is removed from his grasp. ”Thanks, Soh!” he says with a bright smile, peering down at his new glass like a dragon observing gold. He doesn’t hesitate to claim the straw, and muffled around it tells her, ”l’rigt. I ‘ot ‘ars.” Giving her a thumbs up, he about faces, and to the unsteady rhythm of molecules speeding up, he approaches the indoor bar first.

Caffeine is incredible, and it helps him unlock his true potential, practically going Super Saiyan as his hands blur around the stand. Bottles of liquor don’t stand a chance, they are set out in neat rows, organized with the name facing out, and arranged by type. Flora has never been stingy on her liquor stocking, and he’s added some extras to it for this exact event, so there’s a colorful array of choices ranging from the typical Torchline rum to the coveted Waterfall gin, although that one does stay hidden to avoid being overindulged. Vodkas, tequilas, whiskeys, brandy, wine, beer, it’s all there. With it, he whips out various additives, like creams, bitters, fruit flavors, herbs, citrus, and utensils of all sorts. At one point, he grabs a shaker full of ice and rapidly and noisily shakes it, needing an outlet for the brimming energy. He yodels off some marching song as he does it, more jacked up than Riocjy Bobby’s kids on mountain dew.

Doing much the same on the outdoor bar, Kaisel finishes with a loud clap of his hands, gaze sweeping across all their efforts. ”AMAZING!Goodworkguysthislookssooooooreadyforaparty. Nowwegottastarttodecorate.” Talking rapidly, a blinking just as fast to match it, he puts his hands on his hips. His heart rate feels like a drum keeping pace for their efforts, and while it isn’t true, he’s certain it’s pounding so hard it’s fluttering the fabric of his shirt.

---

Pick one thing to decorate!
1. Hang streamers around
2. Organize the single balloons where you like
3. Cover the tables with the linens

Wanted me to fail out of spite, I didn't
All bark but they don't bite, they timid

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

Ronin almost jumps with the sudden clapping of Kai's hands, and the Knight turns to (sort of) listen to whatever garbles its way out of the soldier's mouth. He can see too much caffeine a mile away, but it's far too late to do anything about it now. Hopefully there will be time for the crash and a potential nap before the party starts to get under way, otherwise Kai will be at risk of missing everything he's organised.

"I'll take the streamers," he declares, opting to use his duplicate to help hang them. With both Ronins armed and ready, they set off around the interior of the house to strategically decorate, ensuring that no corners are left unadorned but leaving enough to drape around the pool bar as well. Once he's finished he double checks his work with a fresh eye, ensuring everything is aesthetically pleasing.

---

Ronin (and his duplicate) decide to hang streamers!

THE WHITE KNIGHT

and continue fighting

As the sky opens up and pulls me in
I can see, I can breathe, I can feel again

In retrospect, maybe giving Kaisel that second coffee was a bad idea. As they all gathered back together, she had a hard time following the jittery praise and hurried instructions that followed. Still, she gathered that it was time to decorate, and without further ado, she leaped into action.

Feeling rather fond of her balloon choices, she elected to organize those. They’d look best, she decided, along the edges of the party, where they wouldn’t obstruct the view out across the dining area they’d made and towards the pool. With that in mind, Soh arranged the balloons neatly in pairs and trios, tying them off at varying heights that looked artful and intentional without being too uniform. When she finished with the inside, she took her remaining balloons and meandered out to the pool, tying a few here and there until she had no more left.

—-

Soh takes balloons!

And I'll wave goodbye to the ones below
As I float on by to the great unknown

Sohalia

Kaisel

”SOSMART!” Kaisel praises Ronin as his duplicate joins the team once more, because truly, a pair of hands makes dealing with streamers much easier. Although as effortless as Ronin and Dupnin make it, it would appear that all the commotion of the house has attracted the attention of the spirits, for better or worse. In the first place Ronin had hung the streamers, some now dangle, barely holding on with one end, the other kicked off by a spirit, although that’s not so obvious at first. Instead, it seems that Ronin had either been careless with his arrangement or chosen something that wouldn’t wed the decor and the walls together. Only when the same strand falls again and again might it become apparent.

Sohalia is also the culprit of some spiritual curiosity. She’ll find her balloons seemingly starting to droop, suggesting that the store had not sold her quality fills after all. Except, any time she might come near to try and fix them, they pop upright like a freshly sprung flower, the spirit that had been sitting on them jumping to a new one. This does at one point, cause a trio to come untied from all the jostling, and the balloons attempt a merry escape into the high ceiling.

”Soh! WATCHOUT!” Kaisel shouts and points across to her as he witnesses the escape attempt. He’s mid-flapping out a tablecloth, his elbows working like chicken wings at his sides as he tries to get the lift and drop juuuuuust right so that he’s efficient about this and doesn’t waste time running around to every corner to straighten it. This of course, means he is taking a long time to get the air beneath it and the set down just right, but it feels like it saves time, and since time is just a construct anyway, then surely it is saving time if he believes it is. This would also be going much smoother if a spirit wasn’t dashing under his attempts like some cat with the zoomies, creating flaws in what would otherwise have been a perfect set-down. ”Stoooooop,” he hisses at the linen lurcher, at one point coiling the cloth up into a fat rat tail and whipping it out at the unseen gremlin. This results in every tablecloth he’d put on thus far promptly getting yanked away onto the floor.

”Oh my goddddddssssssssssss, puh-lease!” he begs, reaching down to grab the fabric and start again. He’d have to leave offerings soon or they’d be here doing the same task all day.

”When you’re done, we have the tiki torches, center pieces for the tables, and the big wall with her name on it to go up!” No less chipper off coffee than before, he’s worked some of his manic energy out on whipping around seafoam green fabric.

---

Finish up your first tasks after the ghostly intrusion and then select a new task to complete

1. Tiki torches put up
2. Center pieces put on tables
3. The greenery wall needs to be put up near one of the bars

Wanted me to fail out of spite, I didn't
All bark but they don't bite, they timid

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

What had been amusement quickly turns to concern as Kai continues to bounce between them like a shot through a pinball machine, and it's only after Ronin has seen the waft of seafoam fabric that he feels like it's safe to get back to his own work. Which is about when he realises the streamers have handily unfastened themselves from certain areas. It does take a few repeats for the Knight to realise the sabotage is intentional on the part of the spirits, and he hums out a knowing sigh.

"Alright, alright. I'll take your lead," he decides, replacing any streamers in more aesthetically pleasing places (according to the spooks that run the house).

With that done and Kai sounding a good deal less manic, Ronin steps back into the house and nods at the next list of tasks. "I'll take the tiki torches," he calls, moving to gather them up and take them outside, staking them in strategic places to provide light across the party. Not that he lights them just yet - that can wait until the celebrations start.

---

Ronin chooses tiki torches!

THE WHITE KNIGHT

and continue fighting

As the sky opens up and pulls me in
I can see, I can breathe, I can feel again

As Sohalia turned to survey the room, she frowned to find some of her balloons beginning to droop. Muttering something under her breath about shady merchants, she hurried towards the sad sight - but suddenly, that balloon popped back up into the air as though it had never been droopy, only for a new one to lower in its place. It didn't take Soh long to figure out that the spirits of the House were behind it; laughing to herself, she gently tried to shoo them off. "I'll find a good book for you later -" she was just beginning to whisper (the House shared her tastes in smut), when all of a sudden Kai's voice rang out.

Soh looked up to find some of her balloons escaping; tsking affectionatly, she shifted quickly into her snowy owl shift and took flight, gathering up the balloon strings in her talons before returning to the ground and her own, human body. Once she'd tied the balloons off again - more firmly this time - it was time for them (and the spirits, it seemed) to move on.

"I'll take the center pieces!" she called, and then moved to do just that. Carefully setting up her chosen centerpieces so that they were situated just so on the tables, she didn't light any of the votive candles yet - that could come closer to party time. Instead, she just arranged everything prettily and was pleased, in the end, by the way everything was coming together.

---

Soh chooses centerpieces!

And I'll wave goodbye to the ones below
As I float on by to the great unknown

Sohalia

Kaisel

Ronin ‘s cooperative approach with the spirits, once detected, ensures that the streamers end up situated at last. This allows the Knight to fully move on to the tiki torches. These receive no spiritual intervention, seeming to imply he’s done a fine job selecting placements this time.

Sohalia ‘s smart thinking rescues the balloon escape, and the spirits seem thoroughly amused enough by it all to leave her be for now. Although Ronin’s previous spirit seems to have come to the attention of her centerpiece placement, scooching some, just so, behind her so that they aligned perfectly over the tables.

Fortunately Kaisel had managed to get the tablecloths on after round two, leaving the tables ready for Soh to start, although he picked up his pace as she began to bustle in behind him. The greenery wall remained, and Kaisel hoisted up the light, but awkwardly sized pieces into position with the outdoor bar. When he stood back, thinking it done, he did find it spelled OFARL. Huffing, he quickly sorted the pieces back into a proper FLORA and thanked her parents for not naming her something like Florangelica or something equally long.

”Not this is starting to look like a party!” he beams, hands on his hips as he swivels around and surveys the work they’ve accomplished. ”I think most of what’s left depends on the deliveries arriving, which should be sooner than later, but we should break for lunch while we have the chance.” Not intending to waste time cooking anything substantial, especially not when they had a nice dinner to look forward to, he instead flipped through some cupboards and pulled out ingredients for PBJs. Unlike what a certain meme might leave one to believe, he did put the peanut butter on bread and not his hand. Peanut butter went on first, of course, as is the way, and then he jellied the other piece of bread for each of them second, smushing together three PBJ sandwiches for each of them.

”Hope PBJs work,” he shrugs, not really having a great altnerative. ”There’s some cheese and veggies in the fridge if you prefer something else though. Just don’t want to make a mess or spend too long.” He reaches for a glass of water after taking a bite, his next words muffled around the peanut butter. "Fis gonna ork I fink."

---

Break for lunch!

Wanted me to fail out of spite, I didn't
All bark but they don't bite, they timid

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!