Let's partyyyyyyy! [open]

[livingdeadgirl]

Who: EVERYONE.
What: A meet-and-greet party for everybody in Anchor!
When: early October
Where: the VR room lobby
Warnings: none yet
Format: go wild!

[ The day before, a wild network post appears, from the username @aa : ]

hi everyone!
i just wanted to let you all know
the meet and greet party previously discussed in this space
will be held tomorrow afternoon!

it will take place in the vr room lobby
and of course everyone is invited
refreshments and games will be provided
but if you would like a little extra challenge
please feel free to bring something to share!

attendance is mandatory!
(lol just kidding)
seriously though i do hope to see all of you there ;)

[ She's also posted handwritten signs to that effect in the mess hall and several of the staircases. Just in case! ]

---

The day of, a party appears in the VR Room lobby area, as promised!

Though it's not brightly lit, the lights there are are brightly colored, creating a chilled-out evening atmosphere like you'd find at a club. Plush chairs and couches are interspersed throughout the room, and there's been a solid attempt to clean the place up, or at least do something about all the dust.

A shortage of conventional party supplies has forced Ami and Cho to get creative, so the tables and parts of the wall are decorated with paper flowers, and the buffet table is presided over by a number of ... weird, pink, glitter-covered, vaguely animal-shaped sculptures made out of spare plastic pipes and stuff. With googly eyes. If nothing else they're a conversation piece.

FOOD: The main offering is barbecue! There's a pretty wide assortment of meats, all of which Cho has certified safe for human consumption, and also certified delicious. Chips, dried fruit, and a few different desserts are available, including homemade chocolate chip cookies that Ami made herself (wich Cho's help). All the trays are helpfully labeled, including allergy information.

Any and all potluck submissions are welcome as well! Just set it down over here and make a little card of your own.

DRINKS: Sadly, the coffee machine is still out of order. But there is a cooler stocked with ice and a few different choices of juice and soda. Alcoholic selections are limited to two types of pre-mixed drinks, which are intentionally weak on the alcohol, but at least they're not tequila sunrises. If guests want anything stronger, they'll need to bring it themselves.

ENTERTAINMENT: In fiddling with the controls, Ami got the overhead speakers to play some music, but couldn't figure out how to modify the playlist, so it's just one song on loop. Maybe if she keeps the volume kind of low, no one will notice. No live music is scheduled, but if anyone wants to bring a guitar and jam for a while, they will be more than welcome to.

And most of the arcade games are online! Anyone for Fruit Ninja? Air hockey? Dance Dance Retribution? Virtual Billiards? Or perhaps you'd like to try out a full-simulation game in the VR Rooms proper? Now's as good a time as any!

Oh, and don't forget to enter the raffle! The winner will be chosen randomly and announced a few hours into the party.

Comments

[arcadedragon]

[Generally Genji uses his ninja skills for fighting, but they're also handy when he's coming out of the VR room and nearly walks right into someone who's awkwardly standing in the middle of the hallway. He gracefully twists to the side and avoids him, but the way Carlisle is standing there is just... so strange, as if he may bolt at a moments notice.]

Are you alright?

[abheirrant]

[Having been very engaged in the internal debate going on in his head — yes, there are now more people and some kind of enchanted animals in there, but there is also food and he was very much enjoying the smell of that, and when will he get another chance like this to just have something nice for himself like the aroma of a meal he cannot eat — Carlisle doesn't see someone coming into the hallway, nor does he realize he's acting as a roadblock until he's spoken to. He stiffens as the voice draws him out of his own head, turning to apologize; the sight of just who is speaking to him is what makes him nearly bolt.]

I'm fine, thank you verich!

[Or he'd bolt if his legs would carry him. They decide to lock up from the fear instead at the sight of another humanoid construct. And is that a sword? Who keeps giving the constructed people swords?]

I- I told him I was sorry!

[arcadedragon]

What?

[He tilts his head curiously, having no idea what Carlisle is talking about.]

Told who?

[abheirrant]

To—

[His glowing eyes go up and down the figure before him. Is that slit his eyes? Where does he look to make eye contact?[

To the tall construct in the hat. You- you don't know each other?

[arcadedragon]

[Tall construct in the hat? What like a scarecrow? He's even more confused.]

No? Should I? I'm afraid I have no idea what you are talking about.

Why are you in the middle of the hallway?

[abheirrant]

[Not all constructs know each other GOSH CARLISLE. To his credit, they're both constructs that are humanoid in nature and have swords, so... there are some connections. The other one was wearing clothes, though, whereas this one seems to be naked. Can constructs be naked? Should he be averting his gaze?

Now more determined than ever that the slit in his helmet (?) is definitely his eyes and that he should not look anywhere else for fear of being impolite -- more than he has already been -- Carlisle affixes his gaze on the construct's face and takes a deep breath, trying to will his legs to move.]

I just needed a moment to myself. It- it's loud in there. And there are more people, and I just- I thought you were associated with someone else. My apologies.

[arcadedragon]

[People being terrified of him is nothing new, but in this case he hasn't actually done anything but walk down a hallway so he's not entirely sure what caused this.]

Yes there are people, that is generally how parties work.

[But then not everyone grew up being a party boy like he did, some people don't like that scene. And Genji isn't really sure he does anymore either.]

Want me to grab you some food so you can at least eat out here? It smells good.

[He hasn't tasted any of it, because he's not going to take his visor off, but he's definitely going to steal some at some point and bring it to his room.]

[abheirrant]

Oh, you can smell. That's nice.

[Wait, he shouldn't say that to a construct, no matter how much of a compliment he meant it as. He tries again, his mouth taking off with his nerves.]

Wh- what I meant was no, I don't need anything. I can't eat. I mean, I can, but I don't need to. No on I mean, I do eat, like all people, but can't right now because, um. I would... ruin... my mask if I tried to eat with it. Perfectly understandable reason not to eat. Now. Mister, um. You... construct you.

[NAILED IT]

[arcadedragon]

Genji. My name is Genji.

[And furthermore..]

What is a construct?

[Okay Carlisle, he's a little concerned you're going to panic and pass out right now and if he calls for healing there's no one to respond and he definitely can't do anything about that. What do?]

You could take it to your room and eat there. That is what I am going to do. Are you sure you're alright?

[abheirrant]

I said I'm fine.

[He reaches out to put a hand on the wall. Ah, the good wall -- nice and solid and grounding for his frazzled nerves. It does seem to settle him just a smidge, or at least enough he manages another question.]

You're- are you not a machine?

[arcadedragon]

That does not look fine.

[Maybe the whole not eating thing is catching up to Carlisle and he's going to pass out from hunger?]

No! I am not a machine. Why does everyone -- No.

[abheirrant]

[There's half a second where Carlisle is clearly deciding whether or not to believe him before immediate relief washes over him.]

Oh! Cisth, I thought- I thought you were one of them. I- there's another construct here, and he's definitely a construct, and he also has a sword and a smile and is far more menacing than you— not that you couldn't be menacing if you wanted to be, obviously, but he was most certainly... trying.

[He removes his hand from the wall, rubbing the back of his neck, finally averting his eyes now that he knows that no, this fellow is not a construct, and more importantly, he's not a naked construct.]

Sorry. Sorry about that.

[arcadedragon]

[He's been asked about being a machine more times in the past few days then the entire decade he's been a cyborg. And where Reynir seemed to be really excited to meet a robot, this guy appears to be terrified.]

Was the Omnic Crisis quite bad where you are? Are you from Russia?

I am not an Omnic if that's what you are worried about.

[The easiest way to prove it would be to take his visor off, but he's not going to show his face just yet. He could slide the panels off his arm and show he's human, but he'd have to be pretty careful how he did it otherwise the metal plates welded to his skin that the armor fits into would be visible.]

I am not going to attack you, this is a party, I am only here to meet everyone else. I arrived a few days ago.

I've not met whoever you are talking about. They also have a sword?

[abheirrant]

You're new. Newer than me, even.

[Which is still pretty new, if you ask Carlisle.]

Yes, the ah. Other construct had a sword. And didn't look much like you. What's- what's an Omnic, if I may ask?

[arcadedragon]

Yes that's what I said.

[he sounds a little more annoyed than he actually is, everyone here is putting him on edge. He feels incredibly out of place. No one is from his world or even his era. He needs to get out of here.]

Autonomous robots with souls and free will. I have not seen any here, but they are common where I'm from. Many people see them as inferior.

Because many people are close minded.

[abheirrant]

I would not say constructs are inferior so much as terrifying, but... if these Omnic fellows have souls and free will, then I suppose they are not true constructs.

[And that seems to be an important distinction for Carlisle. He gives Genji a polite bow, finally remembering his manners now that he's not utterly terrified; his voice still shakes, despite himself.]

F- forgive me for my misunderstanding of your, er, nature. I am Carlisle Longinmouth, and it would behoove me to make sure someone is a construct before working myself into a tizzy.

[Which happens fairly often, if he's honest.]

[arcadedragon]

Ah. Is that why you are out here instead of in there?

[If he's afraid of robots this will be a difficult place to live since there are so many of them everywhere.]

[abheirrant]

[Carlisle looks even more embarrassed than he did about his not-a-naked-construct mixup.]

It's one reason. I needed a moment to quiet my head.

[arcadedragon]

Would you like me to grab you something so you may stay out here?

[He's a little worried about you buddy.]

[abheirrant]

Ah, no. [He waves dismissively.] No no no, I- I am fine, really. And not hungry. I do- I do get hungry, mind you, but I am not... hungry presently.

[He seems to buckle under the weight of his own lie, and tries again with some additional justification.]

And it's hard to eat with, ah. All this. [A vague gesture toward his mask.] I'm sure you understand, unless you can just slide morsels through that slit and um. Hm.

[NOT BETTER]

[arcadedragon]

It is a helmet, and I take it off to eat.

[Because he's human under there and not a machine. 100% human and not full of metal bits that are kind of itchy right now because he needs to take his armor off and take a shower. That is not the point. Its a helmet. It comes off. But he's not going to take it off now. And apparently Carlisle will not take his mask off either.

Ah. Awkward. ]

You do not have to eat if you don't want to, it was only a suggestion.

There are no robots in the arcade if that concerns you.

[abheirrant]

[Right. It's a helmet, like he thought the taller construct's head was initially. However, unlike that taller construct, this helmet doesn't move when its wearer talks, nor does it show a wide array of teeth when he grins. It's a static, emotionless expression, which Carlisle would not have thought was his preferred choice until faced with the aforementioned sinister, toothy robot smile. It was an unfortunately educational experience.

He rubs under his veil at the back of his neck a second time, still mortified about his unnecessary panic, particularly in light of this fellow being so painfully understanding. He even keeps offering to help, which somehow makes it worse.]

There are machines in there. [Which he also doesn't like, if the way he says that is any indication.] But... they concern me less. Everyone is so used to the technology all around us that I feel consistently out of place among them.

[Among both the people and the machines, apparently.]

[arcadedragon]

The arcade machines? They're not sentient.

[Okay if he's afraid of Fruit Ninja and DDR this is a little worse than expected.]

Are there no machines where you come from? At all?

[How do you live man?]

[abheirrant]

Not like this. They're- they're more gears and clockwork and less... complex. Even the ones imbued with magic are nothing like the ones in this place.

[So sentient or not, he seems to have a real problem with technology. Or maybe its the sentience that makes this place worse. Either way, he doesn't seem comfortable, but that might just be his default state.]

[arcadedragon]

Oh, so this is far more advanced than what you are used to. I see where that would be alarming.

[It makes a little more sense why Carlisle is like this, but they are just arcade machines. Exposure therapy time.]

Perhaps the best way to overcome a fear is to embrace that which makes you scared. Come, I will show you how to play.