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

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

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.

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AWKWARD INTRODUCTIONS

"Hello." Her voice was soft, kind and sweet.

Kat had arrived on time and with nothing but herself. She should have brought something, an offering of food or alcohol but she didn't have anything that she could reasonably part with. "I'm Kat." Her tongue darted nervously across her lips and her vibrant emerald green eyes dropped towards the floor. She was good at talking to people one on one but large groups like this were awkward. Kat wasn't used to having the attention directed so pointedly at her nor was she used to having friends. She'd had coworkers when she was with the order but that was different.

The one blessing that eased what might have made this all awkward was that she already knew Stephanie very well and had spoken to both Nida and Seifer once before. If not for them, she might not have arrived tonight.

"I'm not sure what else to say. It's nice to meet everyone."

Kat was wearing her attire from home which wasn't made for winter but it was comfortable. Her hood was pulled over her head and the thin familiar piece of fabric felt safe.

GAME FLAILS

She didn't spend a lot of times playing games, even as a child, there were always other things to think about and she was absolutely awful at them. The JENGA tower wiggled as Kat pulled the thin wooden block from its ranks and then it toppled. "Darn it." She bit back an actual swear word as she looked up at those playing with her. She had lost for the fifth time that night. "Maybe I should sit the next one out."

Kat didn't know why she was having so much trouble with this. Her hands were steady and she was used to working on small gears and other fragile projects, both for the order and for Tony, but that wasn't helping her. No matter what she did, she as backed into a corner where she had to take a piece that would cause the tower to fall.

Vergil had been the master of strategies and she silently wished he was here to help her select better pieces. They always had made the best team.

She shook away the thought and helped rebuilding the tower.

QUITE CALM

The gathering was entertaining and the company was fun but Kat needed time in a less crowded area. She retreated to Nida's room and only felt a little awkward being in alone in an intimate space of the house.

Kat was respectful. She took a seat on the floor with her shoulder blades pressed against the wall. The warmth of the house helped her relax and she closed her eyes as she listened to the pleasant buzz of the party going on in the rest of the house. This was nice and she was happy that she'd left her two charges at home to come tonight. She didn't know how long she'd be staying but she didn't regret it.

She sat for over an hour in the silent room, greeting those who entered with a soft hello before falling back into silence.

WILD CARD

[ooc: Let's do whatever.]

"Hey, you doing okay?"

The way Nida saw it, his party, his obligation to interact with just about everyone who showed up, no regrets, right? Especially someone who had been as kind as Kat, willing to offer up her own home for this thing in the first place. Not having to infringe upon her privacy had been something he'd been relieved for.

Imposing on others wasn't okay with him. Thus his sharing of his own bedroom, which was something he was normally violently not okay with. But people need quiet places, and it wasn't like they could have people hole up in the basement.

"Oh. Hello Nida. Yes. I'm fine."

Her expression softened and she shifted so that there was room for him to sit next to her if he wanted too. "I just needed a little break. I'm not used to a lot of people like this but it's been fun." She hadn't expected to enjoy herself this much. "Thank you for having it."

Her fingers lightly tugged at her hem as she spoke. "Are you having fun? I hope it's alright that I escaped in here. I had read the sign on the door but I suspect this is someone's room."

"Yeah, mine," Nida agrees before heading to the bed to grab his pillow, which he offers out to here. "Here, might be more comfortable. And trust me, you're not the only one not used to this. I'm not a party person myself. But I'm glad we opted to do this here. I would have felt horrible about having people in your place until all hours if this much was stressful."

But he'd been glad to check in on her too.

Her expression softened. "Thank you then. I know that it's probably weird letting strangers into your room." She didn't know if she'd be comfortable with something like that.

"I'm glad too. I will still offer my home if you need it. It's still just me there." She wouldn't mind if she could disappear at her own house. It wasn't like everyone knew that her attic had been turned into a bed room because Virgil had been neurotic about an attack on the house.

She slipped the pillow behind her and leaned against it. "This is nice. Everyone here seems nice too. I didn't realize there were so many people here closer to my age."

"Not like I use it for much," he lied easily. See, barely anything that could be construed as personal effects. Just not his thing. But he did smile in appreciation over the offer. Perhaps in the future it could be a cycling party. For right now? Not a chance he'd let her do that.

"Frankly, I didn't either. But it feels right to get us together some. The 'adults' can be a bit of a pain sometimes."

"I think that's true of people in general." Though Kat found most people in large groups to be incredibly frustrating. Her gaze shifted to Nida and her eyes softened. She was happy that things were going well for him and his party.

"Do you have some trouble with the adults?"

"You could say that," Nida admitted with a shrug as he flopped down onto his bed. "Mostly the standard 'you're too young for x, oh woe is you for having to have done y, children should never z' stuff. At least back home I could flash my credentials and people would shut up."

You had to respect what a SeeD could do. Here people could just bemoan what terrible things 'children' ended up having to do.

"I'm not used to that." Though it might be because of Kat's naturally calm demeanor. She appeared a lot older than she was most of the time and she was used to being patient with people and other times flat out ignoring them. She always did what she wanted to do.

"But I've been on my own for a long time." She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "It sounds frustrating."

"Same, though I suppose it depends on the definition of 'alone.'"

Because he'd gotten used to being alone in the middle of a crowded room. The unfortunate repercussions of living life the way he had.

"I'm glad you came over, Kat. I did my best to find whoever might 'wallflower' hardest and drag them here. And given how you were at New Year's... Seemed pretty logical you'd need some hanging with other people. Though if you need a food taster today, I'm going to suggest Seifer."

"I meant only depending on yourself."

There were other ways to describe that kind of independence but it wasn't subject to where someone was or who was around them. Kat knew what it was like to be surrounded by a sea of people but feel completely alone. She'd had one person who made her feel like she belonged but that, like so many things, had been alive.

"A food taster?" Her mouth curved into a smile. "He did seem very interested in making pancakes at the forge. Does he cook a lot?"

"He's been learning it. Cooking like this isn't something we did back home," he offers with a smile. Seifer's come a very long way in the last months. And that made him quite pleased.

"The egg thing is new and I adore it."

"Really?" It wasn't something that she would have known. She didn't know a lot about Seifer but she was glad when people found new things they enjoyed. This village was good for that. "Well, he's very good at cooking."

Her head canted curiously to the side. "I don't think I've tried the egg thing."

"Oh you absolutely have to tell him that," Nida grins as he sits up. "He needs positive reinforcement. And as I'm not a good cook, I need him to get positive reinforcement to keep feeding me."

"I will." She glanced towards the door and inclined her head in a nod. "I guess I should go find him, shouldn't it?"

"When you're ready and not before," he answers as he rolls off of his bed into a standing position. "This room is for people to recover. That includes you too, Kat. Take the time you need."

He offers a small wave as he heads toward the door.

"Thank you Nida."

She wished that she could really express her thanks. For now she raised her hand in a wave and watched as he disappeared from the room.

Aqua has been spending a lot of time on the outskirts of the party since she arrived. She'd tried her hand at the game with Nida, but hadn't proven to be very good at it. Once she'd left the area, other people had taken over and by the time she glances over again, she sees someone else's defeated look. As some of the others get up to mingle elsewhere, Aqua settles into their spots.

"I'll play a round with you," she offers. "I'm not very good at this game, either." She offers a smile as she begins resetting the pieces. "I'm Aqua."

"Kat."

She looked down at the game and then sighed. "We can play but I'm not sure that the result will be any different." Kat really couldn't figure out why she wasn't able to win at least one round.

"Have you played games like this before?"

Aqua shakes her head as they finish building the tower. "No, I haven't," she admits, selecting a piece to get them started. "But I haven't really played a lot of games. We never had time to."

Well, they did, but nothing quite like this. A lot of their time was spent in training. None of them could become keyblade masters by sitting around all day. They had a lot to learn.

"This one almost seems like a strategy game," she says thoughtfully. "Architectural strategy, I guess. Maybe that's why you and I aren't as good at it. I don't really know much about how the tower keeps itself upright."

It makes sense now that she thinks about it, though. If they learn about what keeps making it fall over, maybe they'll eventually figure out how to draw that out and keep it standing longer.

"That's how it was for me too." She paused thoughtfully. "We also never had the games." Not like this anyway.

"I know how the tower keeps itself up but there comes a point where no matter how good you are, it'll fall. I think the point of the game is to make sure that you aren't the person who takes out that last piece."

Kat reached forward and carefully pulled her first piece free before placing it on the top of the towering structure.

"You're already one step ahead of me," Aqua points out mildly, smiling as she does so. "Maybe once we get a few more pieces out we could try to help each other?" It's not how the game is supposed to be played, but she doesn't see the point in a lot of the more competitive games. At least not the kind that don't really hone any combat skills. "We could both talk through it and maybe it will be more fun not to be always against each other."

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

Kat ✵ Open To All

Quite Calm

Quite Calm

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Quite Calm

Boy does he ever

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