[Mingle] The First Official Meeting of the Young Adult Club

[skyward_eyes]

WHO: Nida
WHERE: House 16
WHEN: Evening/Night Monday the 14th
OPEN TO: Mingle: Open too all young adults (22 and younger); Older may show up but expect a testy Nida.
WARNINGS: Young Adults Partying, Possible: Underaged drinking if people bring stuff. If your thread changes ratings, in subject line and DM me so I can update.

---

The message goes out over the Network Sunday evening.

'Young Adult Club, First Meet-Up/Party Monday night. First house after the Jail/Barn. Bring Snacks If You've Got Them To Spare.'

Invitation sent in general, The rest, now, came down to Nida. Good thing he had someone who knew how parties worked was right there too. Rinoa turned out to be a pretty good resource. He learned there were a few important things to do for a party. Three major things were needed: music, treats and games. Unfortunately they couldn't do much about the former, so instead Nida employed his housemates in trying to make sure the latter two were covered.



The Nibbles

The easiest person to go to about food turned out to be Seifer. Of the three of them the blonde had somehow ended up as the defacto chef of their house when it came to important things like this. What this meant was a variety of easily made food, things like a plate of half-dollar sized pancakes for easy munching or dipping into other things, fried potato edges, even a quiche that Seifer had managed to whip up, not that Nida even recognized what the whole thing was. While it wasn't as impressive a spread as the New Year Eve party had (or perhaps even the forge gathering) it was clear that the three had done the best they could with the skills two mercenaries and a formerly sheltered young woman had between them. Hopefully treats from other people would help with the spread. Personally, Nida was hoping to steal some of the fritatta Seifer had made in their cast iron skillet, but guests came first of course.



The Games

Games. What even were party games? For that one the center spotlight had gone to Rinoa's planning efforts. Nida had scrounged in the inn's shared supplies, borrowing a set of playing cards and a Jenga set. Not that he really knew what the latter was. The cards went to the dining room table with some extra chairs borrowed from an unoccupied house, the Jenga onto the coffee table, and Rinoa's peakitten Julia got shuffled into her room to prevent her from knocking over the wooden blocks yet again. Nida was tired of rebuilding.




Introductions

They're all new here, they don't all know each other, so Nida and Rinoa encourage people upon arrival to start out simple. And all you have to do is say your name and three facts about yourself. Or, if you're feeling mischievous, two truths and a lie. Can people guess the truth of the matter about you? Or do they already know you well?



Quite Spaces

Frankly Nida wasn't sure how he felt about opening their house to so many people, and with the living room, dining room and kitchen all prepped for use, he realized there was one other thing people could need. A place to talk quietly or just have group games. As he was the only one of the three of them that didn't have much in the way of property and could give up the whole concept of privacy for a bit, the back bedroom ended up having a note pinned on it with a kitchen knife.

'Quiet Space for Your Use - Do not have sex in my bed please'

With his staff stored in the basement and his tiny journal and pencils stored out of sight on top of the standing wardrobe, the room was perfect for anyone who just needed to cool down. Or have a private conversation. Good thing the house has electricity because that could be used long into the night.

Comments

aqua | ota

[aguidingkey]

Introductions

In all honesty, if it weren't for Nida's personal message, Aqua likely wouldn't have even come in the first place. She isn't sure what to expect, what this young adult club will really be about. It almost sounds more like a party than anything else and Aqua is anything but a party-goer. Still, it might be good to at least meet some people her own age. So eventually, probably after the party is in full swing, she makes her way into the designated house.

Naturally, she gets stumped right away with the request to talk about herself. "I'm Aqua," is the easiest thing for her to say, but she falters after that. "I'm sorry, but I really don't know what to say about myself."

She's bad at this and at making friends and at living a life that isn't fully structured and strict.

Jenga

In all honesty, Aqua isn't sure what the reason is that she's settled in front of the weird block game, but here she is. The objective seems easy enough to understand. It's the implementation that's a little difficult. Aqua ends up being one of those people who calculates every move, taking her time before she moves a block. Unfortunately, that doesn't save her in the last round, as the tower of blocks teeters and then falls as she pulls one of the blocks out.

"Oh well," she sighs. "I guess I'm just not good at this game."

Quiet space

Eventually, the amount of people crammed into such a tight space gets to her. She could leave, she supposes, but she'd rather not just disappear yet. She hasn't even been here all that long. So instead, she seeks out an empty room to sit down in for a short time. The door with the note on it seems good enough and she closes the door behind her. She keeps the lights off, feeling her way around until she settles with her back against the wall and her knees tucked up to her chin.

Surely keeping the room dark won't come back to bite her.

Jenga

[skyward_eyes]

He'd been watching, breath held, as the wooden piece wiggled under Aqua's touch. He didn't want to breathe and knock the thing over, mostly because rebuilding the stack took time. The game was surprisingly fun, though, and he was getting just a bit addicted. SO when the tower collapsed part way he smiled.

"It's really okay, Aqua," he laughed as he leaned forward to start rebuilding the tower. "So, my housemate Rinoa, I don't know if you've met her yet, she has this pet peakitten. And when I was putting this thing up the first time, Julia, the peakitten, was being so helpful. I'd get it about a third of the way built and then the kitten would just pounce it. It was cute, yeah, but you're already worlds better at playing it than Julia is."

[aguidingkey]

Well, at least he's taking this better than expected. Some people could be very competitive about games. Still, Aqua feels a little bad about having been the one to knock it over. His story helps and she manages a small smile as she helps pick up the blocks and reset them.

"I don't think it's hard to be better than a kitten at this game," she says, though the smile stays in place for a little bit longer. She appreciates his efforts at cheering her up. "Is Julia hiding or do you keep her somewhere else? Is..." She falters for a second and then tries again. "Are peakittens native to this world?"

[skyward_eyes]

"I assume they're native to this world because they have a strange thing about them. Touch them with bare skin and the oil from their feathers gives you a bit of a contact high," Nida offers very readily.

Even if they hadn't interacted much in the inn, but it had been enough for him to accept that sometimes she needed a moment to recompose her thoughts. Which was fair. She was still so very new. Part of the reason he'd invited her was so that she'd get a chance to meet other people. Something had given him a feeling that she was going to have almost as much of a hard time adjusting as he was. For different reasons.

"I don't know. Julia plays catch the string at a pretty high level," Nida teased lightly, because honestly, it seemed like a perfect opening. "She's in Rinoa's room right now. For a number of reasons."

[aguidingkey]

"A contact high?" Aqua's asks quizzically. That's a new term to her. But if it does what she thinks it must, judging by the phrase, then she really doesn't want to touch it.

At this point, she is still very new. A lot of her pauses are mostly so she can think herself through how she should act and the part she should be playing. How not to draw too much attention while still helping as much as she can. The trouble is that this world seems to be something of a drawing point. A whole lot of people from a lot of different worlds have been drawn here and that makes it harder for Aqua to know how to fit in. Add to that the fact that she's technically not supposed to let on that she's a keyblade master...

It's a whole lot of complication and she's still trying to keep her head above the metaphorical water.

The tease is also welcome and Aqua manages a small, soft laugh. She really hasn't had much reason to laugh or even smile in a really long time. "That sounds like a good idea. Wouldn't want the whole party to touch her. Is she the only pet you have?"

[skyward_eyes]

"She's the only pet we have right now, though I don't doubt Seifer's going to bring something home sooner or later. He's a disaster like that."

That's just what he has to deal with, and he is happy with it. They're the family he's ended up with. Provided they don't bring a dog in he's happy. Allergies were a bitch.

There, the tower rebuilt, and Nida immediately worked a piece out and placed it on top.

[aguidingkey]

Aqua waits for Nida to make his move. Once he has, she takes the time to move one from the middle.

"Would having more pets really be so bad?" she asks, not because she wants to change his mind but because she genuinely doesn't know. She doesn't think she'll ever get one, though admittedly she doesn't have any experience with animals at all, let alone pets.

[skyward_eyes]

"I'm not the greatest with animals," Nida admitted. And he selects another edge piece, teasing it out carefully. "I put up with the ones that are here because it makes them happy."

He's far more solitary than that.

[aguidingkey]

Aqua frowns as she chooses another piece, trying to think of what her life might have been like with animals around. "We were too busy training for animals. So I guess I really don't know anything about them or how to take care of them. I've just been training my whole life. My friends..." Her smiles turns a little sad. "Ven would like anything he found. If any of us were to find an animal to keep... it would be Ven."

Quiet Space

[cisskabob]

Cissie needs a breather, and ducks into the room with the note about a quiet space gratefully. She leans back against the door with a sigh before turning on a lamp, both impressed with and grateful for the electricity in this house. When she turns, she spots Aqua, and she somehow manages not to shout or jump too high in her surprise.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't know anyone was in here." Cissie frowns, concerned by the way the other girl is curled in on herself in a dark corner. She remembers her from her introduction, and how uneasy she had seemed. She takes a cautious step closer to her, not wanting to crowd or scare her. "...Are you okay?"

[aguidingkey]

The click of the door opening and closing is enough to snap Aqua out of her thoughts. Unfortunately, she doesn't immediately realize what's happened and it isn't until the light turns on and nearly blinds her that she notices the other person. She raises one arm to shield her eyes, the light still generally harsh on her eyes after so long in the realm of darkness.

"It's okay. I didn't mean to frighten you," she says instantly, as usual more concerned with someone else than herself. "I'll be fine. It's just... been a long time since I was around so many people." Another pause as she closes her eyes for a brief minute and finally lowers her arm so she can stand. "I'm Aqua. If you need this space, I can leave. I wasn't really doing anything important."

[cisskabob]

"No, it's okay," Cissie says quickly, shaking her head. "You don't have to go. Honestly, that's kind of why I came in here, myself. It's kind of crowded out there." She offers a small, friendly smile. "It's a little overwhelming, right? I'm Cissie."

[aguidingkey]

A small smile graces Aqua's face. It seems like they both feel the same way about the crowd in the house. "It's nice to see everyone getting along, but I don't think any of these houses were really built to hold this many people at once." Crowded and stuffy are feelings Aqua gets from this, though she isn't about to tell anyone that they shouldn't be having this party or that they should limit attendance. That would completely defeat the purpose. "They were nice to leave us a room like this, so anyone could get away from it all. I don't think I'm really used to parties anyway."

[cisskabob]

"No, they're definitely not," Cissie agrees with a giggle. The houses seem very small, especially when full of this many people. "It was really thoughtful to leave a quiet space though, you're right. I guess I'm not too used to them either, but it's nice to have something like this going. I feel like adults underestimate young people a lot, and sure, some of us should be underestimated? Most of us can handle more than we're given credit for." She grins a bit. "Unless it's handling a crowded house, then all bets are off."

[aguidingkey]

Some of them might be more capable than the adults think they are. Aqua would agree with that. She felt the same way back home, when she had told Master Eraqus that Terra wasn't as weak as he thought. In some respects, though, the Master put too much on their shoulders, not that she would ever think that. They were the youngest prospective keyblade masters in a long time, which made Aqua the youngest actual keyblade master in a long time. To have so much heaped on her shoulders, resting on her alone, had not been easy. Her sense of duty meant that she would kerp going no matter the personal cost and it had been a big one

The little joke at the end catches her by surprise and the small laugh she manages echoes that surprise. It's a good laugh, though. She hadn't been able to laugh much until she came here.

"I think maybe you're right," she agrees. "But I think we're all the kind of people who will keep trying anyway. Especially in a world like this one. At least now we know there are more of us than we all thought and maybe that will mean more friends and ways to help each other."

[cisskabob]

"That would be really nice," Cissie says, a little wistfully. She hopes it's true. More friends is always a good thing, and she's missed having her own, since before winding up in Wonderland. "I think we all need to work together in this kind of situation. I mean, we've really just got each other here. I know I'd rather get to know the others here."

[aguidingkey]

"There's no reason we can't try," Aqua points out helpfully. "And even if we didn't mean to be sharing a quiet moment in the same room, I think it's a good start. I'm... the only one from my world here." So her list of friends is tiny compared to most everyone else. She's had to make her own friends and she's still working on that.

Introduction

[spoileralert]

Steph arrived a little before Aqua and had seated herself plenty close enough to chat with newcomers. She isn't the social butterfly she used to be, not yet, but she can handle the small crowd well enough to make things easier on the new girl.

"Where are you from?" she suggested helpfully. "Be vague. City, town, mountains, desert, what?"

[aguidingkey]

Even something small like this becomes a loaded question for her. She remembers home, of course, can picture it clearly in all its beauty. But then the darkness comes in and all she can see is the way it had looked last, dark and desolate and dead. The Land of Departure was no more. Not really.

"Mountains, I guess," she answers, trying not to give away her thoughts. Despite her use of past tense, which will probably give her away. "The place where I grew up was more like a boarding school for warriors. But it was nestled among some mountains and we didn't have many visitors. Up one of those mountains was where our training spot was."

[spoileralert]

Steph chuckles.

"There you go! That's two facts right there. That's cool though, I've lived in the city all my life. We get too many visitors."

[aguidingkey]

Two facts and she needs one more? She can think of more about home, but about herself...? "The last night I was home, there was a meteor shower. I think Ven fell asleep up on the mountain while he was watching it." She remembers waking him up, the hopeless sleepyhead. "I have been to a few towns, but nothing bigger than that. I guess you get used to the amount of people around."

[spoileralert]

"And that makes three... plus some." She waves the woman in out of the doorway, with or without a nod from Nida. The requirements have been met and Aqua has earned a little relaxation.

"We haven't actually met. I'm Steph. I've been here around six months already, I just don't socialize all that much."

[aguidingkey]

Aqua's shoulders barely relax with relief as she finally steps out of the doorway. If she had known that would be a requirement, she probably wouldn't have come. Which was probably why it wasn't announced until they stepped in.

"It's nice to meet you, Steph," she says genuinely. "I haven't been here longer than a few days. A week or two at the most." After so long in the realm of darkness, she's still adjusting to the fact that time, and the day/night cycle in general, passes normally here. "I'm still trying to find a way to help out around the villages. Life here is... very different from life at home."

[spoileralert]

Steph nods sympathetically. The level of technology is far lower here than she's used to, and having to work so hard for basic necessities is an unwelcome change.

"Well, I can't say I'm much help myself. But if you check out the library in the schoolhouse there are all sorts of guides. You could always learn a new skill to put to use. Like, the soap here is pretty unpleasant." Raw soap was not meant to be used, if you ask Steph.

[aguidingkey]

Libraries are always good. Even if there isn't much to go on with this world, or much in the way of resources or research, she can start with the library. Not everyone is willing to openly admit to needing help, but the more she learns, the more she can help on the fly.

"That's a good idea. Thank you." She definitely doesn't know about making soap, so that might be a good place to start. "So I guess soap-making is one of the things people here need help with. Throwing parties and getting to know people seems to be already taken care of." She offers a small smile. Nida seems to have the party part well in hand.