vineleaves | Open: In a shout of joy at the only shrine where you come benighted and leave benign

Dark has come and gone again, which means it’s time to party.

In some ways the party is very similar to last year’s - same large banquet room in the mansion, a similarly large abundance of food and drink, and the promise of a night full of letting loose for everyone in attendance. It’s far from a direct clone of the previous party though. For starters, Dionysus has had Claudius help him in all of the planning (sometimes a god’s blessings come in the form of enrichment for one’s enclosure). They’ve gotten several of the mansion’s residents to agree to play live music during the night, and Dionysus was able to find some, ah, more widely appreciated CDs to play during the breaks between performers.

The room has been decorated to the nines again, but where last year he had green vines draping on the walls diffusing the glow from the twinkling fairy lights, this year he has strung up swooping vines of silver, glittering almost like tinsel. The large food tables have an almost ridiculous amount of things to munch on; there should be something for everyone there.

It should go without saying that the beverage tables are well-stocked, considering the host.

The festivities are starting a little earlier this year than last, out of respect for those who may or may not have earlier bedtimes. Come dressed in your finest, it’s a yearly tradition now!

Just as there was last year, there is to be an ‘after party’. If your character is part of the standard Orgy Invite Crew, they will have received another invitation to that half of the evening as well. Just like last year, this part of the event is to be handwaved, for obvious reasons.

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"I'd be delighted." One of the easiest dances he learned for his wedding was the Ravkan waltz, and he offers one hand to her and rests the other at her hip.

She takes his hand and will let him lead her in the dance, grinning all the while.

Dancing is, no matter what, a pleasure -- he was born to this, to be in motion, for the grace of his body to carry him joyfully along. Effie is a good partner, too; she catches on to the steps quickly enough, and lets him add in occasional flourishes like twirls and dips, which aren't part of the original dance. It's exhilarating.

And Effie is laughing all the while, feeling just so happy and carefree - a feeling she hasn't experienced in, well, quite some time.

She twirls in her dress, loving how she feels in it.

Effie's joy only enhances his own, building the sense of something communal in the wake of Dark. Finally he leans in and asks, "May I lift you?"

"Hell yes!" she exclaims, excited.

So at the next sweeping crest of the dance he sets his hands at her waist and lifts her into the air in a swirl of her skirts.

And Effie throws out her arms, will let him spin her around if he feels like it, and laughs, feeling such honest joy.

She hasn't felt this way in a long time.

When he finally puts her down, it's only because he has to -- he hasn't got Laertes' impressive upper body strength -- and he makes sure to do it with an additional flourish; he's laughing too. "That was marvelous! What a splendid partner you are."

"Yeah, thanks," she says, grinning. "I try." She shrugs, amused.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?"

"Yeah! Let's grab a drink," she replies.

Let's isn't quite what Sagramore had in mind, but he nods and leads her over to the drinks table, his body language still loose and easy.

She glances over the drinks table, and grabs a glass of wine.

"D'you want anything?" she asks.

"Is there-- oh, yes." He picks up a glass of sparkling water. It is, unfortunately, almost intolerably boring, but there's little he can do about that.

Effie gets the hint. She stopped drinking when she was pregnant, but started again after, well...everything.

"So," she says, feeling exhilarated. "This is a fucking fun party, right?"

"It is!" he says brightly, grateful to her for letting it go so easily. "Dionysus throws a lovely party anyway, and with Claudius involved too-- well."

"Yeah, it's so nice to have something to do when it was so cold out for so long," she replies.

Sagramore enjoys the cold, but he also certainly understands how the long winter grinds a person down. "Things should be getting better from here. Before you know it we'll be around to summer again."

"Yeah, thank God," she says. "Then I can really have fun."

"What are you looking forward to?"

She laughs a little.

"I dunno, more parties? And nice weather, too. I fucking love dressing for the club in summer, so good."

"What's the club?"

"It's like, a place you can dance and drink lots and shag people in the bathroom."

Sagramore laughs. "That sounds perfectly wonderful."

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notalone_anymore - 2025-07-17 14:56 (UTC) - Expand

sagramore - 2025-07-17 15:14 (UTC) - Expand