No party like an pope party??

[archboxer]

[That... that was a thing for everyone. There should be no celebration for Lif but, well, even if Rhea has a very cynical view of such things it's probably for the best that everyone stays together. Her first stop is the cafeteria, after all nothing better to keep people in one spot than free food. There she bumps into Mira, leaving the snacks to her Rhea ends up writing notes to everyone to come to the cafeteria in a few hours.

Some she hands personally and if she can't find someone she slid it under their door. Rin's she slides into her room regardless.

Fortunately, you won't hear a sermon.]

Comments

[bogwife]

[Zerinda arrives at the party fairly soon after the designated time on the Rhea's note. She'd opted to change her clothes, going from her usual corset and layers of skirts to the shirt and trousers of the perfectly tailored suit that's been sitting in her closet untouched for nearly 2 weeks now. She doesn't seem particularly comfortable in it, pausing frequently to adjust the rolled up sleeves and fixing popped top buttons, but she's opting to grim and bear it for now.

Once she's in the cafeteria she is not sitting down. She moves from table to table, person to person, with the homemade wine tucked under her arm.]

I have some wine left from the other night. Would you like some? Or maybe more snacks? I can get more snacks. Or different snacks.

[When she eventually does sit down ("sit down", more like finally collapsing in a chair after an entire day of stress, death and not eating), she half-sprawls across the tabletop and halfheartedly nibbles on whatever food she picked up before this.]

[reallyhatesharks]

[For someone who used to bartend, Nova doesn't drink much. Fin had pretty strict rules about alcohol consumption for servers and it's never been her preferred method for working through trauma. Still.]

Fuck it, sure. Let's get drunk.

[bogwife]

[Zerinda flashes her a grin that's only a little forced.]

It's had a few more days to ferment so it should be a bit stronger than it was the other night. [She grabs an empty glass and pours Nova a bit, sliding it over to her.] I feel like we could all use a drink right now.

[reallyhatesharks]

[Nova takes the glass and just looks down at it before looking up at the window overlooking the ocean. She seems far away for a second, but then she seems to remember where she is and smiles.]

Aren't you going to have any? The only thing worse than being depressed is drinking alone to cover up the fact that you're depressed.

[bogwife]

I might, once everyone else has some. You all need it more than I do. [She leans her hip against the table, ready to strike up more of a conversation but she pauses.]

...Oh sod it, we all could have died today. [And pours herself a small glass and downs it in one gulp.]

[reallyhatesharks]

Exactly. Cheers.

[Nova raises the glass slightly before repeating the gesture. Sure is alcohol, not that she paid much attention to her wine class in bartending school.]

Well, I gotta say that burns less than body shots.

[bogwife]

It's a shorter ferment so it doesn't have as much of a- wait, what's a "body shot"?

[drladysounds]

Yes to wine. Right now I want that medicinal wonder that's gin.

[But wine will have to do]

These are the best times to get drunk until you can't stand.

[bogwife]

Well it's a good thing I'm here them, hm? [She pours Shelley a semi-generous glass (a girl's gotta ration what she has after all) and slides it over to her.] I have the beginnings of mead starting in my room for Therion but gin I've never tried to make.

[She smiles a little.] But I've never stepped away from a challenge before.

[drladysounds]

[Shelley giggles, daring to show a bit of a grin]

I'd love to help you. I have never made it before either, but it's never late for me to learn.

[Better take all that glass at once. Bam, drink it in mere seconds. Someone really wants to get drunk]

[bogwife]

My only assistants have only ever been Princess and Julius so I'd welcome someone with actual thumbs to help me.

[drladysounds]

Who are they? Cats?

['Princess' is such a cat name, she thinks]

[bogwife]

I swear Princess thinks she is but no. She's my pet nug- oh, they're like underground naked rabbits. And my sweet baby Julius is a wyvern.

[You know, like that dragons that technically aren't dragons.]

[precognit]

Oh, um—

[Alice is staring off into space when she hears a voice offering her wine. Her immediate instinct is to say no, but she really should have something, just to...keep people from being suspicious. All of a sudden, she finds it imperative that nobody have any reason to look at her strangely. People are dying, and she doesn't intend to be one of them.

She looks up, and smiles weakly.]

Sure, why not.

[She's pretty sure she can't even get drunk, but might as well give it the old college try!]

[bogwife]

[Zerinda gives her a warm smile and slides her a small cup of the wine. She doesn't take a seat but she does lean her hip against the table, letting herself get a little comfortable.]

How are you feeling, Alice?

[precognit]

[Alice sips from the cup as soon as she takes it, looking up at Zerinda with her gold eyes full of worry.]

I'm...I'll be okay. I will. But what about you?

[bogwife]

I'm...doing better than some of the others. I'm used to dealing with death but it's...different, what we just had to do.

[precognit]

Oh?

[Someone else who's dealt with more death than most...Alice tilts her head, curious.]

Do you mind if I ask you more about that?

[bogwife]

[She shakes her head, no.]

Not at all. You see, where I'm from, and it's especially bad in the bog I live in, the dead don't tend to stay dead. Now it's not their fault that they don't get to rest! It was nothing they did wrong when they were alive or anything like that.

It's just if their bodies aren't burned or properly entombed in stone they get a little...demonically possessed?

[snackooed]

Hope I'm not...catching you at a bad time or anything.

[ Not that there's necessarily a good time right now, when we're all sad sacks. Even so, poor Zerinda definitely seems exhausted, sprawled out like that...

She can't blame her. It's taking a lot for Ema right now to stay upright herself, coffee mug in hand. ]

I wanted to thank you for earlier. You were a big help, back in the library.

[bogwife]

Hmm? [She lifts her head a little blearily, shaking her head a little to clear it before it fully clicks who's talking to her. She quickly smiles, tired but genuine.] Oh! Hello!

Don't worry about it. I was happy to help with her. Back home I'm usually the only one who doesn't mind dealing with the dead so assisting someone else was a nice change.

[snackooed]

It was good to have you on deck. I'm hoping that I won't have to call for that kind of assistance again, but it's definitely good to keep in mind that you're dependable.

[ She knows how exhausting this whole thing has been, but she's glad to see that she's able to flash a smile, in spite of everything. Ema can't help but return it, though she's close to running on fumes herself. ]

Can I get you a coffee? Maybe a snack or two? Unless you're looking to just roll over and hit the sack, of course. Can't say I'd blame you...

[bogwife]

Here's hoping we won't need to but if you need me I'll be there in a flash.

[The offer of coffee makes Zerinda brighten instantly, her smile widening.] I would love some coffee. I don't think real sleep is coming anytime soon anyway.

[snackooed]

For you too, huh? At least we won't have to worry about going it alone. Silver linings, and all that...here, watch my mug, I'll grab one for you, too.

[ The drink in Ema's mug is only coffee in the bare minimum sense of the word; it's as light of a brown as can be, loaded with sugar and creamer. Seems like she has a pretty serious sweet tooth-- ]

How do you take it?

[bogwife]

Usually black but- [She can count the times she's been able to have milk in coffee on one hand, let alone sugar outside of a rare bakery treat from Redcliff.] How about the same way you made yours?