Lady Arachne's Summer Garden Masque - all visitors welcome!

[Felandria]

[Interesting Company]

She nods.

Huh.
That would be a good idea, she thinks. HALO might have the right equipment to help her in her investigations and everything else.
"Once this party is over, I'll consider it," Holly says.

Speaking of the the appetizers, as she eats one the half-human looks around and asks something: "So, let's see...there's food, drinks, and dancing that I can see. I'm kind-of partial to dancing; what did you come here for?"

As a security for the event, Holly figures this is an important question to ask people.

Oh, I never miss an important social function.

Always a great opportunity to make new friends and have some fun.

Dancing is always a solid option as well.

[Zefir]

"You should try one of these." Recommends the giant spider in the purple mask, waving a skewer of various snacks that she just took from one of the serving-golems.
Goodness, she just snuck right up to the woman, didn't she?



An unvisited roof is the most interesting, huh? What a romantic sentiment.
"The Terraces sound impressive, I mean, I'm not much of an acrobat, but it's cool, right?"
Anchor thinks for a moment.
The most interesting thing she's found?
"Well, if we're limiting it to things, that's got to be Anisat. It's a jewel made from the soul of the high priest of a god of the Burning Sun, taken from a dead universe and hidden on the other side of mirrors." She snaps her fingers and a tremendous polished sunstone, glowing slightly from within, appears in her hand. It's just a replica, and not the original artifact, but it's still very shiny.

[At the Finger Food]

With an "Eeeep." the woman shrieks up. That really suprised her and thought she can go to a party with spider themes she still is a bit scared from them when they sneak on her. it needs a bit befor she can shake off her schock. Then she takes one of the offered snacks. "Ehh. T..thank you?"

"Are you from the host?" she asks trying to start some small talk.

[Murkus]

[Dena and Company]

"Oh, Electra, you've got no idea what you're doing to me... But I can't make that kinda music any more. I've got some things to explain when you have time," Fettina whispers back a little sadly, hand brushing the other cyborg's waist. Her eyes say not to ask about it now, but that won't necessarily stop Electra trying.

She does flash Dena a smile, partly in agreement. At a less moderated volume she says, "Yeah, though, I'm with Dena. She can totally order you to tell us if she wants, I guess, so you might as well spill. How have you been?"

[5a Violista]

[Interesting Company]

Holly the not-quite-an-elf nods, listening to her reasons.

"I mean, yeah, those are some pretty good reasons," she comments.

Then.
She looks around.
"Well. I came over here in search of a dance partner, but all the ones around here are too tall for my figure." She starts to break away from Fel. "I'll see you later, next time I come to HALO."

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Dena and Company]

Electra pulls Tina in for a quick hug, clearly a bit saddened that Tina has lost her ability to make music, but catches the hesitation to talk about it in Tina's eyes.

"After the party, when you've got some time, then," she whispers back, before releasing the cyborg and nodding at Dena.

"I've been doing all right. Taking care of some private business, that sort of thing. I have been working the front desk at MERC some, too, but I guess we really haven't had much chance to cross paths for whatever reason."

[Reinholdt]

[Dragon and Dove]

"I do," the dragon-masked man says with a nod. "Some have even been kind enough to praise my Terpsichorean skills. If you wish for a dancing partner, I will be more than happy to oblige."

[Dragon and Dove]

"Perhaps not then," Xunafae replies to Tanin, her hands folded in front of her as she smirks slightly. "I don't think I could possibly keep up with Terpsichorean skills."

[Deathkeeper]

[Elephant and Goblin]

”Generally speaking he was right about basically all of them. Now, what do we do first?” Isaac asks of Iknika. He’ll let her lead when it comes to finding places and people for now.

[Talking to Anri]

Anri almost shudders. Someone did the thing where they made the taps dispense something that isn’t a pure liquid. It feels weird every time. And that time especially. Still, she plays it off and shrugs.
”I dunno. Taps’re magic. I couldn’t tell you.” she tells Choir simply.

[Rebonack]

[Talking to Anri]

The machine DID speak. Choir had heard talking near it, but she was uncertain whether it was the machine itself or the humans.

Humans and that strange animal that blinked about.

Despite the animal being so small and obviously weak, Choir found that it unnerved her at an instinctual level. There was no reason why it should, but she had along ago learned to trust her instincts.

She would simply avoid it. But this machine, it fascinated her. It didn't talk like some of the other machines she had discovered. They simply played sounds. They couldn't fellowship like humans did. But this one could. Maybe? Maybe that reply was recorded and it was actually mindless. She would have to ask it other questions to be sure.

Another sip of smoothie was taken.

Choir felt refreshed.

"That word, I don't know it. Magic?" she asked.

[5a Violista]

[Snake Guest Arrival]

Fashionably late, a woman - with black snakes replacing some of her hair - arrives by way of the mirror-portals.

Awen is, as usual, probably wearing more clothes than she should, given the weather. In addition to a mask and the other clothes, she also has a translucent veil over her eyes and a head-scarf, although this time more of her hair is sticking out of the head-scarf, because otherwise the mask wouldn't stay on very well and would look really tacky.

Her hair's black.
So's the snakes that are coming out of her head.
Because the snakes are always moving, though, her hair that is visible is a bit of a mess.

She looks around, then down, and then enters the rest of the party-area in search of...well, a quiet spot to read a book.

...
Seriously, though, who comes to a party to just read?!?

[Recaiden]

Jack & Anchor

"It's very cool. I've spoken to them sometimes, and it's a way of life for some of them. They boast they've not left the roofs for however many years it's been, or sometimes generations, if they're from some really developed worlds." Less common in Nexus, though. And then the gemstone is shown! Now, Jack's no magpie, to be distracted by every sparkly trinket that passes by, but... Well, jackdaws and magpies are very similar in many respects, and are quite closely related, "Ooooh, that's a pretty stone. How'd you find it, if it's trapped on the far side of mirrors?" Jack's not found anything that shiny! Unless you count all that gold she found, but that was locked in a chest- she had to move it to get it to shine. So it clearly doesn't count.

Gold is very shiny. I think we should count it.

Anchor shakes her head.
"I would feel trapped if I couldn't ever go down to the ground. Even with a whole city of buildings." And falling would be so much more embarrassing.
"Well, I had to go into the mixed-up mirror world myself, of course." After a couple moments, she makes the shiny gem disappear again.

[At the Finger Food]

With an "Eeeep." the woman shrieks up. That really suprised her and thought she can go to a party with spider themes she still is a bit scared from them when they sneak on her. it needs a bit befor she can shake off her schock. Then she takes one of the offered snacks. "Ehh. T..thank you?"

"Are you from the host?" she asks trying to start some small talk.

Is the spider laughing at her? I think it might be.

"No, no, I don't work here. I just thought you looked a little overwhelmed."
"I'm not sure the hostess is even really a spider. Although it can be hard to tell, right? We're all in disguise."

[Shadowcaller]

[Dena and Company]

"Oh, I've seen you slaving away there, be sure of that. There are cameras aimed at the front desk you know." Dena remarks with her eyebrows raised. "I have just never seen a reason to interrupt your daily routine and I've been pretty preoccupied myself." She points a thumb at Tina. "Someone had to help out your babe over here." Dena gives the angels waist a squeeze.

[Earl of Purple]

Jack & Anchor

Are you sure? There was a lot of gold in that chest. It'd take hours, I think.

"The option's always there, to go to the ground. Even if they don't take advantage of it. There's places in Inside where the buildings fly, but that's a little too extreme for all but the most daring of the Roof-Runners." Then the stone disappears, to Jack's disappointment. Not that it shows, with that mask on. "I guess that makes sense. I've never left the Nexus, myself. I'm from a small community in Outside." A very boring and laid-back community, which frustrated Jack immensely. That's why she moved to Inside.

[Morty]

[Dragon and Dove]

"Have no fear," Tanin assures her with a mysterious smile. "The sign of a good dancer is to match their partner's pace."

[Recaiden]

Well, it can be approximate. 'One chest of gold...done'

Anchor nods for a moment; Jack makes a very good point. "I used to have a flying building at home. Can definitely recommend it. I mean, if it's not too high for one to jump to."
"Is it a small community I might have heard of? I'm from Inside originally - sort of - but I've been all over."

[Earl of Purple]

"Possibly, I suppose, but I doubt it. The Clattering, it's called. My family are pretty backwards, though not as insular as some." A community of humans with the secret to turn into birds, according to their trading partners. Scavengers, hunters, gatherers and occasional merchants, rather than craftsmen or farmers, all of their metal goods and much of their clothing are traded from outside. In truth, it's all true- except for the 'humans with the secret to turn into birds' part. Jack's people aren't human, nor are they birds. They're shapeshifters, able to switch between human-looking and jackdaw-looking but remaining neither, though there's likely a mix of human and possibly even jackdaw blood in any given individual.

[Recaiden]

"Hmm, can't say I've met them." Anchor shrugs. The secret of turning into birds would be very useful. She used to have a secret of turning into things herself, but it was lost quite a while ago.

"So that means you're the forward one, Jack?" she inquires.

[Earl of Purple]

"I suppose it does. But mostly it makes me the one fed up of lounging around, living on whatever I found that day or what I could swap with someone else. The one who actually wanted to see the world and do things." She's too curious and too adventurous to have stayed, but... She actually lives very similarly to they do, just in Inside where everything's different from day to day. And there's more comfortable places to sleep.

[Deathkeeper]

[Talking to Anri]

Anri shakes her head.
”Yeah, that’s all I can say. I’m a librarian, not a wizard. It’s some arcane, esoteric mumbo-jumbo that I couldn’t begin to explain to you. Honestly it would be fascinating if it wasn’t attached to me specifically and therefore incredibly annoying. So sorry, can’t tell ya much.” She adds a shrug. That she can still do.

[WarKitty]

The cyborg nods, considering his options. There's only so much he can really do with pyrotechnics, honestly. You really have to go all out to impress the kinds of people who live in the Nexus; sticking to what is conventionally considered within the laws of physics is no way to make that happen. Plus, most of his work with explosive devices has been for the purpose of inflicting harm upon things, not harmlessly erupting in the sky and then petering away into nothing. Hm. He could probably rope his brother into this nonsense, if he phrased it right. Maybe sweeten the pot by allowing him to mingle with all these other weirdos, or look the other way if Needs wants to take some unsuspecting fae prince home and swallow them whole.

"Okay, so there's two things I need to know. One, are you okay with my bringing in my brother into this to help out, and two, what kind of statement are you trying to make with this masquerade party? What kind of feeling am I meant to evoke? There's a certain sort of crowd who attends these functions, what kind of lasting impression do you want to leave them with? Who is Lady Arachne?" Magtok asks, finally whirling about to face the hostess for the first time, and judge this stranger with his own mismatched eyes.

Magtok will find a woman in a very practical, if somewhat wide, black dress, looking back at him. Her lower face is veiled with a scarf wrapped around her head, but 8 solid black eyes look out at him from above it. You're welcome to bring any help you need. Just please keep anyone dangerous (there is a slightly meaningful emphasis on that word) inside this grove.
As far as impression - I would prefer no one run away screaming. But I'm sure you can do more interesting things than simply colors in the sky, without hurting anyone. If some folk are startled that is acceptable.

[Recaiden]

"Have you seen enough of the world then? I mean, do you have some big plan now that you're out here. finding new wings and all that?" Anchor is starting to be annoyed by her own choice of mask. Sure, it looks cool, but it's totally expressionless. "Something you hope to see next?" she's mostly curious, and only a little bit skeptical of Jack.

[Rebonack]

[Talking to Anri]

"Arcane, esoteric mumbo-jumbo," Choir repeated back after taking another sip of her beverage. "I'm sorry. I don't know those words, either. My mastery of language is still growing. I have many things to learn."

And this was the best way to learn them, isn't it?

Aside from potentially finding out how to take communion with a human in a way that actually worked.

"You said... you're a librarian. Not a wizard. I don't know wizards. But from the context, they work magics as a librarian works libraries?" she continues. "I know librarian. And library. A place full of books."

She's glad that she figured the word 'book' out.

She had been given strange looks when she refereed to them as the flappy things full of talking symbols.

"But if you're a librarian, then why are you here dispensing beverages?" Choir asked. That seemed very strange to her. There was a wide dividing line in her mind between what a librarian does and what a beverage dispenser does. One helped humans find books. The other helped humans find drinks. While finding things was a commonality, the things found were very different.

[Deathkeeper]

[Talking to Anri]

Anri gives Choir a look that a more savvy person might recognize as her trying to smile sweetly.
"I'm here dispensing drinks because it's something this body is programmed to do and one day I'll smash it to pieces and get something else that allows me to keep my free will. Do you have any other questions?" she asks her bluntly.

[Felandria]

[Interesting Company]

Holly the not-quite-an-elf nods, listening to her reasons.

"I mean, yeah, those are some pretty good reasons," she comments.

Then.
She looks around.
"Well. I came over here in search of a dance partner, but all the ones around here are too tall for my figure." She starts to break away from Fel. "I'll see you later, next time I come to HALO."

Fel gently places a hand on Holly’s shoulder.

Wait.

That can be taken care of.

Only question is, would you like me to come down, or would you like to come up?

[Rebonack]

[Talking to Anri]

"I have many questions," Choir confirmed. She was glad that this machine human was willing to answer them. This did not surprise her, since it was the social purpose of librarians to help facilitate the learning of others. However, before now she had lacked the opportunity to speak with one.

"Is it typical for librarians to exchange bodies for other bodies? It was my understanding that humans have only one body and if it perishes their self goes extinct with it."

This was a very important question to have answered, which is why Choir asked it first. If humans can migrate their self from one body to another then her concern about eating them is wholly misguided.

[5a Violista]

[Interesting Company]

Holly stops.

She considers the offer.

If Fel shrinks, then that's all normal. The boring option.
If she "comes up", however, then they'd stand out a lot...wait, never mind, that's not a huge concern, her conversation partner already stands out. What sort of method would be used? she wonders. Would it be one that agrees with her, or...? Presumably, everything would work out. This is a masquerade, anyway: nobody ought to be expected to recognize her or seek her out later, so there's no downside there. But, being higher does have its benefits: she'd likely be better able to do her job as security in case something happens.

Having discovered that there is no downside and only benefits, the half-elf agrees. "Okay. I'll 'come up'. May I ask how you were planning on doing that, however?" she asks for clarification, as she turns back towards the taller woman.

[Earl of Purple]

Jack & Anchor

"The thing with seeing the world, is that it's an awfully big place. Especially this one. I love Inside, and its ever-changing variety, but... I've not been to Riverside, or Skyside. I've visited Seaside once, but I've not gone island hopping, or visited any of the big organisations. I don't have a plan, really. I go to parties, meet new people, find new places, and just enjoy myself. I... I don't think I'm ever going to stop." Jack really should visit Merc, at the least, and get a license. She's more explorer than adventurer, but the difference is minor and I'm sure Merc won't care if they find her.

[Murkus]

[Dena and Company]

Electra pulls Tina in for a quick hug, clearly a bit saddened that Tina has lost her ability to make music, but catches the hesitation to talk about it in Tina's eyes.

"After the party, when you've got some time, then," she whispers back, before releasing the cyborg and nodding at Dena.

"I've been doing all right. Taking care of some private business, that sort of thing. I have been working the front desk at MERC some, too, but I guess we really haven't had much chance to cross paths for whatever reason."

[Dena and Company]

"Oh, I've seen you slaving away there, be sure of that. There are cameras aimed at the front desk you know." Dena remarks with her eyebrows raised. "I have just never seen a reason to interrupt your daily routine and I've been pretty preoccupied myself." She points a thumb at Tina. "Someone had to help out your babe over here." Dena gives the angels waist a squeeze.

[Dena and Company]

Fettina smiles and nods, assuring. "Front desk work hm? Hell of a good first impression," Tina nods sagely. "And what kinda work is this tonight? I'm not gonna get in the way, am I?" She looks at Dena, pausing, even as she's squeezed. "Dangit, you two aren't on the same gig are you?"

[Recaiden]

Jack & Anchor

"The thing with seeing the world, is that it's an awfully big place. Especially this one. I love Inside, and its ever-changing variety, but... I've not been to Riverside, or Skyside. I've visited Seaside once, but I've not gone island hopping, or visited any of the big organisations. I don't have a plan, really. I go to parties, meet new people, find new places, and just enjoy myself. I... I don't think I'm ever going to stop." Jack really should visit Merc, at the least, and get a license. She's more explorer than adventurer, but the difference is minor and I'm sure Merc won't care if they find her.

"Never been to the other big cities? Well, you've gotta do that sooner than later, I mean...no that's just what I mean."
Eh, when was the last time Merc actually gave an explorer trouble for exploring? Surely Jack is a professional tour guide, and only an amateur adventurer?
"That whole thing sounds quite lovely, though. Do you- want to dance?"
The spiders are playing dance music. If you trust the song name, anyway.

[Morty]

[Snake Guest Arrival]

Awen may not get to read a book in peace, because a teenage goblin girl in a red dress and bat-masks waves at her expansively as she passes by.

"Hi! I really like your snakes!"

Iknika never did have much restraint and those snakes do look pretty cool.

[5a Violista]

[Snake Guests & Goblins]

It is rather unfortunate that she was stopped: Awen was really looking forward to spending the whole party reading.
Not really, though, because that sounds boring. Why even come to a party if all you're going to do is read?

"Oh." The witch Awen is unsure what to say next; nobody's really said that before and she wasn't expecting anyone to do that. "U-um. Thanks," she manages to say. Really, though? She thinks it's ugly: Messed up hair. Can't even do any good hairstyles, for goodness's sake! "Just don't try to touch them, because they bite."

Rather than voicing her doubt in the compliment, she instead returns the favor by saying, "Your dress is pretty nice, it matches your mask."

Since the ice is already broken, Awen decides to continue the conversation, by using a reasonable question. "So, what brings you to this party?" she asks.