[SEMI-OPEN MINGLE] Baby dive in, the water feels fine

[agoddessonce]

WHO: Storm agoddessonce and friends
WHEN: a weekend in July
WHERE: At the Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach - Poolside
WHAT: Ororo felt like arranging a small, private pool day (semi-open mingle log)
NOTES\WARNINGS: Alcohol will be served so some underage drinking might slip through the cracks (please know that Ororo Disapproves Though). If your character has ever interacted with Ororo, even once, then please feel free to assume she'd invited you over to come and spend the afternoon at her place. Swimsuits highly encouraged!

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the pool;

The pool at the Institute is sparkling and inviting under the sun, glittering under the shade of the old mansion. It's a shame to see it go to waste day in and day out, so Ororo has invited a few people she's already met through her months in Etraya to use it. The water itself is cool and refreshing, and though there's an impromptu sign at the edge that proclaims POWERS ALLOWED - BUT NO HORSEPLAY to discourage rough play, there's also a tall diving board set up at one end. Guests are free to use it as they will. If any injuries occur - there's a reasonably well-stocked nurse's station inside the mansion!

Ororo had also spent a couple of days visiting Kwik Trip to see what kind of floats they could get for the day. Various pool floats are available (donut rings, pool noodles, and a dubious looking tank floatie) for guests to use and share. Try not to bother anyone who's just trying to relax!

the food, the drinks;

Ororo has no plans for the day to turn into anything particularly fancy or rowdy; she'd just wanted something casual and simple, an excuse to take a swim with some friends new and old, and to get to know the people of Etraya a little better. What better way to help people feel more open and relaxed than with a couple of drinks? There are a couple of coolers sitting around, open and full of ice and snow, with soda, juice, beer and a selection of fruity, ready-to-drink cocktails for guests who might want a drink to help them relax or break the ice.

She trusts people to self-police, generally, but will still personally, stringently remind folks to keep the alcohol from anyone sixteen and under. Do not test her! :)

There's a grill going as well, with typical barbecue fare: burgers (both vegan and beef), hot dogs, chicken wings and roasted vegetable skewers. Ororo has probably asked a friend or two to take turns manning the grill, but anyone is welcome to cook their own food to their liking. Plates are available to one side, with a range of salads, snacks and sauces and dips. Guests can dine at various seating areas set up around the poolside and in the shade.

the poolside;

There are plenty of loungers sitting around, to share or to drag into a corner to use for yourself! It's a day to relax as much as it is a day to mingle. People are free to bring their food and drink over to them, or use the chairs to work on a sun tan.

There's a basketball court not too far off from the pool here people are encouraged to play a game or two. Perhaps something easy that doesn't need a team - Horse, or a game of one-on-one? Ororo doesn't know the exact rules, but as long as no one's bursting any basketballs, she won't be upset.

the mansion;

Tired of waiting under the sun? Need a bathroom break? A select few of the mansion's rooms are open to use - the kitchen, the nearest bathrooms, and the rec room for anyone who wants a nap. If you wander upstairs, there are numerous rooms that don't see much use - one wing houses old classrooms and study rooms, an empty library, some faculty offices. The other wing has some locked bedroom suites - only a few of which are currently, actually in use. Be warned that if Ororo or some other X-Men sense or catch you lingering up here, they'll gently (... or not so gently, depends on who catches you and how they catch you) redirect you right back downstairs.

The elevator and the sublevels are completely off-limits and impossible to break into, kept secure by a combination of private codes and mutant biometrics. Nothing to see here! Just carry on. ♥

The party will last til the evening, at which point Ororo will invite people to come into the large kitchen of the mansion to piece together some dinner, or dry off or take a quick shower. If anyone's too tired (or too drunk) to go home, she'll personally take charge of turning the rec room into an impromptu blanket fort for people to sleep on couches. It's fine, none of the furniture is actually vintage or antique around here. Probably.

wildcard;

Feel free to come up with your own starters for poolside shenanigans! If your character has threaded with Ororo even once, assume you've got a personal invite for them and a +1. Hoping to keep this mingle light and easy to foster a bit of CR before the mission log goes up next week!

Comments

[odinpusrex]

[Barnabas looks down at the beer as it is pressed into his hand, his eyes narrowing, but he does take it all the same. Then his gaze returns to Cid as he speaks.]

And to what end would I converse with them? [His gaze shifts to the people in the pool as they splash and play, as if that makes his point, before looking at Cid again.

Then his eyes trail to Cid's shoulder, and the corners of his mouth tug slightly into a frown.]

...Ever impetuous and irresponsible in equal measure.

[levindicated]

Well, I don't know, Barnabas. Could it be that we're stranded at our mercy on a hostile foreign realm? Now's the time to make friends. You used to trust my advisement.

[He follows the other's gaze and shrugs.]

You know me. Can't help making mischief.

[odinpusrex]

[Barnabas just shakes his head, his nose slightly scrunched as he casts his eyes away from Cid. Both the idea of making friends and how Cid chose to downplay his curse as simple mischief is...annoying. An odd feeling that pulls at him, while all other feelings typically die before they reach his becalmed heart.

Troublesome.]

All of that blustering and for what? Defying me? You chose to waste away in a cave, slowly turning to stone, all for some foolish notion...

[levindicated]

[Cid pats him hard on the shoulder.]

Yeah, and you ended up exactly the same place as me. So mind your tone, eh?

[Cid takes a sip of his beer, pressing the cool glass to his own neck.]

[odinpusrex]

[Barnabas gives him a withering look, then eyes the beer in his hand. He does not want this swill...]

Insufferable till the last.

[He lets his gaze drift to Ororo who is busy with something else at the moment.]

Tell me—who is she to you?

[If Cid looks at him, he'll tilt his head towards her.]

[levindicated]

I am who I am.

[He knows who he’s referring to without looking, but it’s in his nature to follow another’s gaze. His eyes lock back on Barnabas. He frowns.]

A friend. Something you’d understand the value of if you took the time. Why?

[odinpusrex]

Friendships are meaningless, such bonds are but shackles.

[Barnabas offers coldly, because Cidolfus was the one who showed him that, yet he doesn't voice it. Nor does he answer why he asked. Frankly, that isn't any of Cid's business.]

[levindicated]

That's a crock of shit, but keep telling yourself that, if you must.

[Cid sighs and gestures towards the pool.]

We can keep chatting, but wouldn't you rather do it from in there? Looks awful nice.

[odinpusrex]

[Barnabas doesn't react to that first bit, stubbornly disagreeing but finding it not worthy of a response. However, as for the matter of going into the pool, Barnabas offers him a flat stare.]

If you wish to indulge the waters, you have but to say so. I care little where we hold our conversation.

[With that said, he'll head over to the spot specified, glancing back at Cid only when he's reached the edge. Idly he thinks about drowning Cid, but then he banishes the morbid thought from his mind.]

[levindicated]

[Cid tries to push Barnabas into the pool. ]

[odinpusrex]

[Tries really is the operative word, isn't it?

As soon as Cid's hand touches him, Barnabas moves with the speed of a viper. Grabbing Cid's wrist, utilizing his momentum, and sending Cid sailing into the pool while he remains otherwise rooted in place.

Rest in Pool, idiot.

When Cid surfaces, Barnabas has crouched down, resting his arms on his thighs as he stares at him.]

You are no longer the foolish boy you once were. A foolish man is not afforded the same grace.

[levindicated]

[Cid comes back up sputtering. He treads water as he brings his other arm back up over the water line, revealing a beer that had become almost equally pool water to beer foam in content. Barnabas' package in his face is only added insult to injury, but he had acted foolishly, overfamiliar.]

... Just wanted to see if you'd let me.

Get in already, eh? Entrance aside, it really is quite nice in here.

[odinpusrex]

[To be fair, there really is no one they are more familiar with in truth, but any of that earned friendliness over their two decades together has decayed. Rotted away like a corpse from their betrayal to each other, though Barnabas stands firm that Cid betrayed him while he betrayed nothing.

Yet, here he is, suffering his presence all the same. Some part of him, a part he has long since tried to ignore, misses the man. It's a complicated feeling, one he does not want to linger on, and so he simply slips into the water, mindful of the untouched beer in his hand. Choosing to focus on the present, instead of the past for once.]

This water feels...artificial.

[What a fucking comment.]

[levindicated]

[He's not happy about Barnabas, but here he is just flapping his jaw. Like he can't help it. He may be angry and betrayed, but there is history, too.]

That so? Well, it isn't seawater, that's for certain. Smells like... I'm not even sure. As concerned as Ororo is with safety, though... Surely it's fine?

Why don't you taste it?

[odinpusrex]

Here I had presumed you might have gotten a taste just a moment ago. It would seem you are capable of closing that mouth of yours.

[Which is his way of saying: no. Still, the water feels odd, as Cid says, it isn't sea water, and it definitely isn't lake or river water. It feels so... lifeless. Not quite the stagnant water found in the Blightlands, and yet...]

[levindicated]

[Cid takes a handful of water and splashes Barnabas in the face mid-sentence. ]

Yeah, it tastes astringent. Like some kind of alchemical component that you shouldn't put in your mouth.

[He absently takes a sip of his beer and sputters.]

[odinpusrex]

[Barnabas gives him a near non-reaction to the splash, at most he narrows his eyes, but then Cid sputters like an idiot from his horrible poolwater-beer combination and balance is achieved.

Barnabas glances at the beer Cid foisted upon him, deciding to not offer it to Cid until he's earned it. His gaze flicks back to his annoying companion.]

A poor mix with the ale, I presume?

[levindicated]

Could be better.

[He pours out the remnants on the poolside to evaporate in the sun. He leans up on the edge, elbows up as he starts to float and sighs in contentment.]

It's no crystal clear seawater, but it'll do. Little harder to float in, but not so bad.

[He closes his eyes so that the sun does not blind him.]

When's the last time you relaxed?

[odinpusrex]

I am always relaxed.

[Which is probably one of the least convincing things Barnabas has ever said. Though, one could argue that his otherwise calm demeanor might persuade one into believing his claims. That is, if that person was anyone but Cid.]

Besides, congregations such as this are scant what I would name relaxing.

[It's so noisy and crowded, the fact anyone would find this relaxing is absurd to him.]