[open] BIRTHDAY PICNIC

[tinged]

Who ꕤ EVERYONE
What ꕤ zelkova's picnic-birthday bash!
When ꕤ oct 3
Where ꕤ Holzig Camping Grounds
Content Warnings ꕤ some grief, probably



PRE-PICNIC

[ The invitations have all been sent out, but there's still prep work to be done. The food and drinks have to be made, the decorations crafted and set up along with the tents and such. An eclectic mix of players are organizing this event: Mr_Misteaks, tylorific, Vogel, Mithrun1, and tabibito. Hien (!) has kindly (tabibito's phrasing) volunteered to help them set up. Though in the end, it's more like four capable adults and two problem children (who have stringent orders to stay AWAY from the knives).

Should anyone else choose to come early to help out, they'll be welcomed with smiles. There's joy in the air, though loss tinges it at the edges.

Before the party starts, however, Hien will be gone. And before that, the group presents Hien with a small "cake" of his own: a savory spring galette. ]

HAPPY, SAD BIRTHDAY

[ At noon is when the guests are told to arrive, with the party lasting until sunset.

Holzig Camping Grounds looks a little different! The decorations are simple and colorful; banners of varying quality hang over the tents and weave through the trees. Most notable are the silver and gold balloons that read: Happy 0 Birthday! There are thick logs for seating and some foldout seats for those with sensitive bums around the lone campfire, lit and flickering wildly.

The tents are also set up for some reason! (They're for naps.)

There are multiple picnic tables. The first and smallest provide finger sized portions of tamago sando and fruit sando. The next couple of tables are bigger: build-your-own bars for sandwiches, salads, hotdogs, burgers, and s'mores! There is, of course, a table for alcohol and other drinks.

At the center table is a cake, German chocolate and winter-themed with five little fondant ornaments placed by five different hands, and strangely enough, there is a dish of roast pork with parsley sauce right next to it. If asked what the dish is, tabibito will answer with something that sounds like "Steak Flakes Persimmons" at first before they pronounce it properly and fluidly: Stegt flæsk med persillesovs.

Eat up! Have fun chatting! And don't forget to dedicate a toast to Zelkova! ]

A BREAK

[ A little out of the way, in a small clearing, guests will notice there are a couple of ugly pinatas strung about: there are exactly three of them and they're all the letter C in a putrid green. Guests are encouraged to use their own weapons, though a wooden stick is provided.

If piñatas aren't their thing, there's also a giant watermelon, a blindfold in the design of an angry pomchi, and a wooden baseball bat. Ok, so watermelon smashing is a beach thing, but why not take their anger out on something right? They've all been through a lot. ]

SHE DANCES ON THE WIND

[ Midway through the party, tabibito calls for a moment of remembrance for Uta. tabibito will toast to her memory with a quiet smile because she was all smiles all the time and so full of drive - but everyone is free and welcome to honor her memory as they wish. ]

Comments

[rebelles]

[ She feels better after that! Haru straightens up and brushes a fleck of watermelon from her clothes. ]

Actually, I think I worked up an appetite. Would you like to split a watermelon?

[veardant]

I'd love to. Might as well not let it go to waste, right?

[ even if it's just.. a digital watermelon. habits are habits. ]

[rebelles]

[ The watermelon she's smashed is an unsalvageable pulpy mess, so she'll clear it from the tarp and retrieve a fresh one. Looking around, she finds a kitchen knife at one of the tables and begins to cut the fruit into slices. She holds a piece out to Tighnari. ]

Here!

[veardant]

Ah, thanks - [ he'll take it with a gentle smile! and take a bite immediately. it's crunchy and fresh, with a light, familiar flavor. he hums. ] That's refreshing.. I haven't enjoyed watermelon in awhile.

[rebelles]

[ Refreshing is right. She sighs contently, sitting down on a log and stretching her legs out. The fruit tastes sweet on her tongue, and she really needed a good watermelon smashing. ]

That was fun. I would see people playing the game at the beach, but I've never tried it before.

[veardant]

[ watermelon smashing is truly cathartic.. ]

Yeah, I've only heard of it in theory. I've smashed a pinata or two, but never fruit. Never felt the need to get out so much anxiety before, I suppose.

[rebelles]

Me neither. To think the game we played turned out like this... [ She shakes her head. ] You're Tighnari, right?

[ It's been a while, but she remembers him from when they chatted early on in the beta. Can't forget a fellow plant lover! ]

[veardant]

[ plant friends are friends forever!! ]

I am, yes. [ he smiles. ] Noir, right?

[ at least i think that's how she introduced herself.. I COULD BE WRONG ]

[rebelles]

That's right!

[ yes she did you're good! o/ ]

That reminds me, I recently started cultivating a garden of plants from around Fragment.

[veardant]

Oh! Really? Plants native to this place, I assume?

[ they would.. have to be, right? there'd be no way to import plants from home. ]

I'd love to see your work.

[rebelles]

Yes, I gathered them and brought them back to the plot in my guild. I've been doing my best to figure out how to nurture them. I would be happy to show you.

[ He's a PhD in plants, right? She bets he's full of insights. ]

[veardant]

[ he sure is a phD in plants! he loves those green fellas. ]

That sounds wonderful. I've not had as much of a chance to observe the wild flora as I otherwise would have liked.

[rebelles]

They're fascinating, especially since they don't always grow in the conditions we expect.

[ How do plants survive in a Thunder Field? We don't know. ]

Just message me whenever you have time.

[veardant]

[ a warm smile. ]

I'd be happy to. It seems I have quite a lot of free time on my hands, now..