chef_chocobro | The Far Less Creepy and Far From Abandoned Mansion in the Woods; Friday Afternoon/Evening [06/27].

When the guests arrived, they would, of course, be instructed to find their way to the garden conservatory; the subtle decorations both inside the mansion and through the exterior gardens would guide most people to there, and, barring that, the steward was naturally on hand to provide and escort. There, they would find a scene that seemed almost a stark contrast to the dark and brooding decor of a necromancer, a place filled with light and life, with plants both decorative and functional, colorful and aromatic and useful, and, of course, no lack of the expected gothic or Victorian touches here and there. Somewhere, some cleverly situated water fixture babbled steadily along with the light, inobtrusive music that set the atmosphere: something elevated just slightly above casual, that slight touch of pretentiousness that was gentle in its demands for propriety and decorum and class. Comfortable chaises and chairs were arranged here and there sociably, a gathering a wrought-iron bistro tables and chairs as well, but the set-up seemed to suggest the kind of floating interactions of butterflies among flowers, drifting from one to the next with an airy regard.

And, of course, the spread of food was exceptional, lighter fair, but plenty of it, things that could be enjoyed while fluttering about with the other guests in one hand, while the other held a glass of fine wine or sparkling water garnished with fresh fruits or even a robust coffee or a floral cup of tea. Small sandwiches and crostini, bruschetta and other variations, but there were also empanadas with a chimichurri sauce, paella with scallops, pomegranate pork kebabs...

Spring rolls, summer rolls, smoked salmon cucumber rolls...

And of course, desserts, which would include alfajores dulce de leche, coffee truffles, fruit crostini, and key lime mini pies.

Needless to say, no one should be wanting for food. Just be careful not to fill up on treats too much if you plan to stay on later; there was still plenty of dancing to be had, once the party moved itself to the awaiting ballroom.

[[ ~~naturally, ocd incoming~~ ocd is up! Come and celebrate with us! ]]

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Common sense or danger sense? Either way, staying in Liliana's good books really was the best idea.

Though she didn't bat an eye at Atton's much more casual attire. Honestly, Jace couldn't be bothered to brush his hair most days, Atton had at least that much going for him. "Hello, Jack darling. Come to join us before your portal back to...wherever you're living these days?"

She knew if was off-island, but if he'd ever explained more than that, she certainly hadn't bothered retaining the information.

"New York City. But yeah, it seemed like the right thing to do," Jack said lightly. "Congrats and that kind of thing."

He was heavily ambivalent about the whole concept of engagement parties, but hey.

"Thank you, darling," she said. "I will admit, I'd never really expected to see myself here, but one can still be surprised after two hundred years."

"Aw, only two hundred? You're basically a newborn," Jack said, amused, with all of his 41 years. "But this place does tend to have a good hit rate on that kind of thing."

"Two hundred going on twenty-nine, really," Liliana said with a laugh. "Now I almost wonder if that's the reason behind that week in the spring. The island is a secret matchmaker."

"At the very least, it tries to make sure we all get laid at least once a year," Jack said, with a little snort. "I remember it mostly being a pain in my ass - and no, not in that way. Just all the drama."

Liliana closed her mouth, pouting slightly as Jack took away the joke she'd been about to make.

"Drama?" she asked instead. Because, look. Both times she'd experienced it, she had already had a partner and had been paying very little attention to what (or who) anybody else was doing.

"Getting hit on by people you shouldn't be kissing, trying to kiss people you shouldn't be kissing, or you have certain maaaagical superpowers," Jack said, wriggling his hands, "...suddenly your brain is full of everyone else's tingly feelings when all you want to do is sleep."

"Mmmm, I might need more details on what you mean by 'shouldn't be kissing,'" Liliana said, "but I can agree the latter sounds dreadful. What an awful time to be a telepath."

Huh. Boy did that give her a wonderfully terrible idea.

Edited 2025-06-27 23:27 (UTC)

"Like people who have feelings for you and you don't want to give them ideas," said Jack, leaving about five miles of context out of the conversation.

One of his eyebrows went up at the rest of her answer. Just a bit. But: "Yeah, I'm not a fan."

"Oh, see, darling, that's another way we differ," Liliana said. "If I wanted to fuck them, I would, and if they ended up breaking their own heart over it when I told them in the beginning nothing was going to come of it..." She shrugged. "Well, that was their problem."

"Yeah, I try not to do that to my friends," Jack said, tone bone-dry.

Also he had a boatload of trauma, associated and otherwise, and a healthy portion of internalized shame and guilt, but blah blah.

"Again, we differ," Liliana said. "I never had to worry overmuch about that."

'Friends' wasn't really a concept Liliana had bothered exploring for many, many years.

And Jack had absolutely once slept with one of his friends when he shouldn't have, and disappeared for a full year, because there'd been a lot he hadn't worked through yet. But that fell in the category of stories he wasn't going to be quick to share with this particular Fandomite.

"I'm sorry about that," he said instead.

What? Were they not the very bestest of friends, due for slumber parties and hair braiding??? Hurtful, Rand.

"Whyever for, darling?" Liliana asked lightly. "I'm certainly not."

Therapy had pried Rand open far enough that he could share with people he cared about, but it sure hadn't torched the entirety of his sense of self-preservation.

"And I'm sorry about that, too," Jack said lightly. "But hey, you seem to have things figured out now." He waved at the general... everything of the party.

"You can keep your sorries to yourself," Liliana said tartly. "They're neither asked for nor necessary."

Edited 2025-06-29 07:19 (UTC)

"Fair enough," Jack said easily. "Like I said, you seem to have things figured out. Fiance who's into big garden parties and all."

The Far Less Creepy and Far From Abandoned Mansion in the Woods; Friday Afternoon/Evening [06/27].

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