revivalproject | Temba Beach Party!

Entry tags:

Temba Beach Party!

WHO: EVERYONE!!
WHERE: Temba Beach
WHAT: BEACH PARTY TIME!!
WHEN: noooooooow
Notes: Mix & Match the prompts as desired. Any format goes!
WARNINGS: Pride Birbs. It's Pride month. So. PRIDE BIRBS! Oh. And you may add your own warning labels to the respective threads, I suppose.

Isn't it amazing what people can achieve when several come together and pool their ideas and resources for a shared goal?

It certainly is in Jon's eyes, whose innate lack of creativity originally has gone as far as bringing some blankets to the beach and hoping for a good mood. What has ended up being set up on the bluish, almost purple sand of the beach is far beyond anything he would have imagined and he won't deny being glad he has reached out over the network with his little suggestion.

Of Barbecues, Grills and other Beverages

Do you remember Cobb asking for a grill to be made for him? Right. That grill can be found at the party. Kyle has offered to prepare burgers to be grilled along with whatever meat selection the diner has to offer and Clarice is the person to thank for the home made ice pops, created from native fruits such as glueberries and mangourd. Of course these are kept fresh under a parasol and in an insulated box mostly buried into the sun. That's how the majority of the drinks offered at this party are being kept cool as well.

If you want to catch one of those fat green lobsters roaming the beach as well and toss it onto the grill, you sure can try.

INTO THE OCEAN!!

You better bring your swimwear, because jumping into the water is an option. No actually dangerous creatures are this close to the shore, making swimming or potential swimming lessons very much possible.

Tony also ensured there is a little kiddie pool for the babies. And Cobb.

Someone brought an inflatable Eyeball?

Before anyone asks, it wasn't Jon. But it's there. An inflatable eye beach ball.

Any questions? Yes? Good.

Lounging in the Shade & Music

Parasols, blankets and a guitar borrowed from Cayde's bar. Sit down, relax, chat. And if you know how to play this instrument, you're very welcome to do so.

Let there be BIRBS

Have you wondered yet why those birds are in the banner for this party? It's because they are here.

At first they linger in the trees near the beach, watching and squawking and being colorful parrots. As a little time passes, they leave the safety of their trees and start coming over, sitting on parasols, hopping curiously between this oddly large amount of people gathering at their beach and in all likelihood attempting to steal a snack or two.

But if you pay close attention, you can also observe them swooping down at the nearby lobsters, easily picking them up and carry them back into the nearby forest. Apparently these birds aren't just colorful and curious they also hunt lobsters. Who could have known...

Don't forget the Caves

Actually not far from our little party waits the entrance to the caves. Take a wrong turn in them and you will find yourself in a large chamber filled with those energy crystals that make all your technology glow and go insane or result in your powers to fluctuate greatly. Take the right turn, and you find yourself at those mysterious hot springs only few know about.

To be fair, the actual party is at the beach, but who knows when the need for some privacy arises.

When it gets Dark we gather around the Rainbow Colored Fire Pit

While set up at the edge of the gathering, the fire pit Tony and Cayde have set up to have a bonfire in easily is one of the center pieces of the party. Benches and seats either brought over from Temba or crafted from different material are set up around it and once the sun begins to set and the bonfire gets lit along with the many torches set up around the party, the invitation to remain a little longer couldn't be clearer.

There's more to it than just a cozy fire, a pleasant atmosphere and the company of friends. Next to the fire pit sits a small box. In that box, wrapped in plain tissue paper, are what at first glance are little more than lumps of wax. But mixed into this wax are different chemicals and tossing these into the pit will result in the fire burning with different colors or even sparkle. Way to set the mood and linger as the party winds down.

Due to health concerns Jon does not recommend cooking any food over the chemically altered flames, thank you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The impeccable aesthetic choices were clearly why Tony was surreptitiously watching Merrin through his lashes, head bowed toward the guitar like he was at all capable of being subtle and trying to get a read on her energy. She hadn't been easy to pin down on the network, and even now as Tony gently prodded at her communicator, it didn't look like she was doing much socializing for him to analyze.

"Guitar," he gladly provided with a sagely nod like the question had been philosophical. "It's the instrument a guy picks if he's trying to impress a gal. It's not the most difficult or even the sexiest choice, but it gives you the most room to play either the sensitive artist or the dangerous rockstar. Uh, rock'n'roll. That's next level shit, don't worry about it. Either of those do it for you?"

Tony, are you... stalking her? She wouldn't even be mad, to be honest, though his subtlety gets a couple of raised eyebrows, but no comment. People looking at her has never really bothered her—honestly, whatever people do or think about her has never really bothered her, period.

"'Do it for me'?" she echoes incredulously—the phrase is unfamiliar to her, but she can glean the meaning from context, and she already has doubts about where this conversation is heading. "I don't see why you need my opinion. If you need help impressing a woman, then a... guitar will not do it." She enunciates the new word a little awkwardly, her accent thick.

Only a little bit of stalking. BD-1 had Cal's back, but Tony doubted the droid had any more romantic experience than the kid to help him navigate that minefield. Tony was something of an expert on minefields.

His smirk was brief and wicked, and quickly schooled with his tongue between his teeth to raise his eyebrows with another slow nod, okay. He wasn't putting down the guitar just yet, still idly strumming a half-remembered tune, but accepted, "I can use all the help I can get. I trusted the guitar thing, but I'm open to exploring options."

That wicked smirk is... alarming, to say the least, no matter how brief, and Merrin gets the very distinct impression that he has some sort of angle here—and whatever it is, she doubts she's going to like it. She shoots him a skeptical look, her eyes narrowing as she sweeps her gaze over him, sizing him up rather openly.

If, by some miracle, he is sincere... "Strength is all that matters," she says, completely matter-of-fact. "Prove you are worthy of being her mate with combat, and you may earn her favor. This is how it is among Nightsisters." Honestly, she has no idea how it works for women outside of Dathomir, but... that's what she knows.

Not that she's ever taken a mate. Or will. Or... yet? Anyway.

The scrutiny didn't deter Tony in the least and he welcomed it instead with a slow smile and cock of his head. It was definitely a practiced reaction from someone who was used to being inspected, but could have easily been a display of defiance in the way he tried to hold her gaze with his own cool calculation. He didn't look delicate by Earth standards, anyway, despite the foppish deliberate trim of his beard or the silk robe, the wiry muscle clear in the leg he braced in front of him and his fingers scarred and calloused. Hopefully, he had a few layers of armor and distractions to get through before Merrin would pick up on any weaknesses.

He was largely unprepared for her answer, adding a sincere glimmer in surprise to his grin at strength, then making him snort outright by mate. Okay, Tony did not properly anticipate what he was dealing with here, and he bit his tongue again with another nod to apologize for the reaction to what was just a cultural divide. His melody trailed off briefly as he raised a hand instead to try to form his understanding better and he asked, "Do you mean, we have to fight? Like, if I can kick her ass, that's it, it's a date?"

Her impression of him is definitely not delicate, even just based on his attitude, so much as it is... well, kind of the exact opposite of that, really. He strikes her as crafty, cunning. Confusing, maybe deliberately so. She does appear a little puzzled by his snort, her eyebrows knitting, if only because she's not sure what's off about the word mate. It must be different outside of Dathomir, after all.

"A Nightbrother would have no hope of besting me in a fight, or any of my sisters," she counters immediately, and there's no room for debate in her tone. This man? Well, she doesn't really know what he's capable of yet, though she's inclined to doubt it, even if Cal taught her not to so carelessly underestimate anyone. Now, Cal? Honestly, she's not even sure which one of them would win, if it came down to it. But he's already proven his strength to her in other ways.

Wait, why is she thinking about Cal? In any case— "Though a Nightsister might have tested you in that way." Might have. Curious tense choice. "Most often, the men would fight amongst themselves, or face one of the many dangerous beasts on Dathomir."

Merrin's confident answer threatened to make Tony laugh again, but he was somewhat prepared now and it was mostly the delivery that brought out his grin and a theatrical sigh of relief. "That's great, honestly, I don't know if I have that in me..." he was muttering as Merrin continued, going back to his guitar with a new chord that he worked around until he landed on something distantly familiar, focusing as much as possible to not startle Merrin again with that fangy smirk for the threat of testing.

"What if there's nobody to fight?" he proposed. "What if you're just, you know, having a good time, and there's a fire, and the stars are out, and he's hands down the cutest guy at the beach? You've got the dangerous beasts covered, after all, that angle's covered."

Is it confidence if it's just facts? Nightsisters spend years honing their magick&mash;Nightbrothers just swing clubs around. It wouldn't even be close. "That would not happen. Nightsisters and brothers do not mingle like this. We lived separately."

She can tell that's... probably not what he means, though—in fact, she's starting to get the impression that they do things very differently on Dathomir from whatever he's used to—and so she pauses to consider the scenario in earnest, frowning thoughtfully. Somehow, it seems to have morphed from what he should do to impress a woman to what she would need to be impressed.

Which is a little hard for her to conceptualize, to be honest. She isn't very easily impressed, and the last person to do it... her gaze flickers over to where Cal is sitting on the other side of the fire. Just for a second, before she catches herself and looks back at the man with the guitar. Why is she thinking about Cal again?

"There is a reason you are asking me this." It's more a question than a statement, though her tone doesn't really rise at the end to indicate it—in fact, her tone is more accusatory than anything else. That suspicion that he has an angle is back, though she still hasn't figured out what that angle is.

The gender segregation arrangement did follow fairly naturally from everything else Merrin had to say about her systems, but it did make Tony pout with something like pity with his consideration still locked on Merrin narrowing minutely. That way she talked about where she came from, straddling between past and present tense, sounded like she was trying to leave something behind to Tony. She wouldn't be the first person in Temba to be running from something.

She was the tiniest bit too perceptive, though, making Tony try to shrug off the accusation with an easy smile like he couldn't imagine what she was talking about, and avoid addressing it by picking up the tune he was playing softly, "Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, you know you got it if it makes you feel good..." Merrin would have to enjoy Tony's musical interlude until he was sure he could divert her into talking about herself again.

When he got around to it, it really was a genuine question this time, brow furrowing with concern as it occurred to him over the murmur of the guitar, "Is there--what happens after you, uh, mate?" He wasn't entirely sure himself if he meant picking a mate or mating. It kind of sounded like the latter, if they lived entirely separately.

You know, she can't help but notice that he doesn't actually answer her question, and his easy smile doesn't really do much to dispel her suspicion. Neither does the song, though she has to admit that it's very... curious, different from the kind of music they make on Dathomir.

Maybe there's some part of her that does sense the genuine curiosity in his question, because she does answer it very honestly. "It depends on our preference. Some Nightsisters become attached, and see their mates often." Or sometimes... not. In fact, usually not. "But a Nightbrother always returns to his village, and sons are sent to live there. Daughters stay in our village."

She's says it like it's the most perfectly natural arrangement in the universe, but... well, now she's very curious. And since he's been asking her all sorts of questions, she's figures he more than owes her some answers of his own. "It is not the same for humans?"

Not that she... has a vested interest, for any reason.

There was no way Tony could take this information that didn't feel profoundly sad, so he was frowning thoughtfully before Merrin even asked her question and the key change in his melody dropping into something more melancholy and slow. Maybe it worked for them. Plenty of families on Earth didn't stay together in a single household, Merrin's people just skipped the messy middle part.

He had to clear his throat, shaking his head and starting to laugh, definitely a bad sign, to work up to an answer for her. "Humans find it most satisfying when we can mingle all of the time," he said. "It's pretty rare that we want to be separated, even outside of the mating part. That is the fun part, though, and we like to get plenty of practice in before settling down and actually thinking about having kids. More of an endurance test than a strength one, if you want to think of it that way."

Something in his expression tells her that her explanation affected him, even if she doesn't have enough context to figure out exactly how. Merrin can't say how it is for Nightbrothers, but Nightsisters took a more community-based approach to raising daughters, along with practically everything else. She never lacked for mothers and sisters, and while they tended to be more fierce than warm, she also never doubted that she was loved.

But anyway... she's really not sure what to make of this answer, and her puzzlement shows on her face, tinged with a bit of skepticism. Practice? Endurance? The part where they don't segregate by sex she gets, even if she finds it a little foreign, but the rest is... hard for her to wrap her head around, honestly.

"This... practice helps to choose a mate? What is involved in it?" If not fighting and displays of strength, then... what?

Since this was such a scholarly exchange, Tony had to graciously acknowledge, "Depends on what you're into." After all, the people of his planet were diverse and varied, and didn't limit their mating activities between humans or the other peoples that lived in and visited the star system. He was going to need a case study to delve into. "For example, Cal over there," conveniently across the fire for Tony to tip his head toward, and happened to look about the same age that Merrin might have been and for no other particular reason, "Hasn't had a lot of experience in that area. You could say we grew up very differently. So, he might try some classics, like bringing gifts or doing favours, and if he was clever enough to figure out what you actually liked and treat you to it, maybe you'd let him hold your hand and watch you slaughter a bear. Do you have bears?"

She stiffens a little when he points out Cal, caught off guard—or just caught? Why she suddenly feels like she's been caught red-handed is a mystery to her, but he continues on as if it was all just coincidence, and so she tries not to linger on it.

Not that it's too difficult, considering the absolute barrage of information she's getting. Gifts and favors make sense to her, along with paying attention to what your partner likes. That's usually how it's done, between Nightsisters who are interested in each other. But—bears?

"We... do not. Have bears," she replies haltingly, her bewilderment writ very plain on her face. But then she adds, very matter-of-factly, "Cal would not." Have experience in that area, that is. She feels like she has to—what, defend him? Explain? "Jedi are forbidden from taking lovers, though some still do not follow the rules. Or so he has told me."

Honestly, she's still a little confused on this point, along with the whole "no attachments" business that Jedi are about—it all seems kind of bizarre and arbitrary, in her opinion, and you can absolutely quote her on that. But she remembers the conversation very well. Very, very well.

This was not a restriction that Cal had informed Tony about; Tony had only made liberal assumptions about how sheltered Cal and the other little Jedi must have been growing up in their nunnery, and what Cal did tell him had done nothing to dissuade Tony of the notion. The revelation that they were expressly forbidden cause a brief hiccup in Tony's melody with a discordant note, but he quickly found his place again, brow furrowed with focus.

"That's, uh...that's a real commitment to the Jedi thing," was Tony's most charitable takeaway. That Cal had also deliberately chosen to tell Merrin that there were rule breakers was pretty telling, though. Not surprising, if Tony had been told as a teenager that he wasn't allowed to date his hormonal brain would have latched onto any possible justification to completely ignore that and make sure everyone else knew it, too, but telling. "Maybe holding hands and the bear thing would be a little fast for him, then. Keep it light, casual."

Charity is very nice, but Merrin can read between the lines—and she also prefers to go straight for the eyes. "Yes. Jedi are very strange." Her tone is utterly deadpan.

Then, for a second, she actually does... consider his advice. Not the part about slaughtering bears, but the rest of it, her gaze unconsciously drifting over towards Cal, a small, thoughtful frown on her face. If he tried to pursue her by giving her gifts or doing favors for her, would it work? If he tried to win her favor...

No, no matter how she looks at it, he doesn't have to do anything to prove himself to her. In fact, even by Nightsister standards, he would make for an ideal mate—after all, he did defeat the previous village leader, as well as the Gorgara. (Well, okay, Malicos was with her help, but still. If he was a Nightbrother, he'd have more than proven his strength to her.)

The thought preoccupies her enough that it takes another second for her to realize that Tony's turned the language around on her, and her head snaps around to face him, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "I have not said anything about taking Cal for a mate."

Is this... The Angle.

Utterly deadpan and utterly hilarious, enough to make Tony snicker before he schooled his expression to a respectful nod for a culture that he didn't understand well enough to judge. Maybe they could vent all of the bewildering things they learned about the Jedi together later, when they weren't trying to do this community building thing around the fire. Tony suspected Merrin would gossip much like Tasha would, by listening to Tony rave about some awful personalities that he had to deal with in the boardroom and showing her sympathy in liberal offers to execute them.

"Hypothetically, of course," he allowed airily to her defensive reply, but his wicked grin was back and the guitar suddenly didn't require nearly as much focus so he could steadily hold her suspicious gaze. "If you were all that interested, you wouldn't be wasting time with me by the fire, when you got this whole beach and the moon, a little bit of music to dance to..."

Tony isn't very far off with that suspicion, and she also has a lot of fodder for bewildering Jedi behavior.

But anyway... that very alarming grin has returned, and she can feel herself tense, as if in anticipation of a fight. "I am not interested. Cal is a friend," is her immediate reply, but it sounds defensive even to her own ears, not to mention a little bit... hollow. The words certainly settle uneasily in her stomach, and she scowls unhappily—first at herself, and then she directs it at Tony.

"You have not told me your name," she deflects, and her tone is practically withering. This is her way of initiating introductions, so she can figure out who this is she needs to make a voodoo doll of... potentially.

Doubling down when Tony had already agreed with her, or so he could argue all he meant was that he was agreeing with her, was definitely too defensive for Tony to let go without a smirk and inquisitively narrowed eyes. Are you sure? He was all too happy to accept her scowl with another welcoming toss of his head like Merrin had paid him a compliment, and, for once, actually answered directly, "Tony Stark." If they were on Earth, it would be about this point in the conversation that Merrin realized she had made a very big mistake, but without his carefully structured reputation to depend on, Merrin was going to have to figure out human dating customs very quickly because Tony prepared for her his most disarming grin and purr, "It would be my pleasure if you would call me Tony."

She's really starting to take umbrage with that smirk, especially since this one seems to hold a mirror up to her in a way she is very much not ready to look into. It... plants a small seed of doubt in her. Like a weed. Is she sure?

The name rings a familiar bell, though, and that's an easy enough distraction to latch onto. Cal had mentioned a Tony to her before everything that happened in the city—in fact, she distinctly remembers Cal describing him as bold and outspoken, but "not a bad guy." Her eyes light up with recognition, even if the rest of her expression is wholly unimpressed.

"It would not be mine," she says, dry as the cracked-soil deserts on Dathomir. "Cal has spoken of you before. The impression he gave me was different."

The abject failure of his weapons grade charm had Tony suppressing another laugh, a delighted snort escaping before Merrin rescued him with the intrigue of what mysterious accusations Cal could have been making of Tony. There was an obvious thread of frustration in Merrin that could have just been her natural state, or could have been an easy snag for Tony to tease until she got properly angry if they weren't lounging, sun-baked and tired, in the cooling sand. Tony was going to have to find her some time when she was already on edge.

"Absolutely despicable, I hope. The impression he gave of you was spot on," he lured carefully, not going a very good job of hiding his smile as he turned his innocent focus back on the music. If Merrin wanted to know what Cal had been saying about her, she was going to have to be more forthcoming.

She's not sure why he keeps reacting with such apparent delight(???), even when she uses the exact same techniques that used to make the Nightbrothers scramble to do as she bid—maybe she's gotten a little too used to men being terrified of her. "Perhaps not despicable enough," she counters, in that same bone-dry tone.

"He spoke of me to you?" It's half-statement and half-question, accompanied by a thin frown line between her eyebrows. She's not sure why she's surprised, honestly—from what she gathered from Cal, they worked together on projects often enough, and it would be totally natural for friends and acquaintances to come up in conversation. That's what happened in Tony's case, after all.

But, regardless... if she's being honest with herself, she's deathly curious to know what kind of impression Cal gave him—even if she recognizes bait when she sees it, purposeful or not. Something tells her that Tony would look as equally delighted, if not more so, if she asked what Cal said about her, which only makes her not want to ask.

She presses her lips together, stubbornly burying her curiosity. Instead, she averts her gaze and says carefully, "He would know what kind of impression I make."

Merrin's hardened exterior was just difficult enough to read that Tony wasn't sure if he had her intrigued, or she genuinely was confident enough to not be wondering what Cal had to say. Maybe they were doing fine, and Tony didn't have to pick at Merrin to find out how they were treating each other. He watched her curiously in the flickering light, his smile tempered and not nearly as wicked, and rocked slowly with his tempo like he might just start singing again. Only, his music cut abruptly as he seemed to get what he needed from his examination and he moved to set the guitar aside, prompting, "Do you dance, back home?"

She eyes him a little askance, including that smile, as if she's expecting there to be some sort of catch to such an innocuous subject change. But it's an easy enough question to answer, and she ultimately doesn't mind sharing what she can of her culture, especially to people who ask—if she doesn't, then no one else will, after all.

"Yes," she replies, folding her tattooed hands over each other in her lap. "Some of our magick rituals involve dancing, and music. And... outside of rituals, as well." What can she say? Nightsisters knew how to party.

Leaving no room for argument, Tony was already rolling up onto his feet and extending an expectant hand to help Merrin do the same, throwing the briefest glance across the fire to check if Cal was too distracted. It was possible this would entirely backfire and what Merrin thought of as 'dance' was terrifying and weird, but maybe Cal was into that, too. "Okay, well, maybe save the magic stuff for some other guy," Tony suggested, glad that there were other options. "Most of the dancing I'm familiar with is not ritual-related, so if you've got some of that in the bank, I'm buying."

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