Come gather 'around the fire...

[kismet_loop_mods]

Who: Anyone
What: A gathering for the citizens of Haven.  A time to relax and mingle...and a little something more.
When: All day and night of the 14th
Where: Outside of The Hub, and perhaps inside too if you wish.
Event: Not everything is as it seems.  Some of the offerings will cause some...unexpected results.

The Guardians have been hard at work getting the large open street outside of the Hub and Warehouse set up for a massive gathering.  There were tables set up all over the place full of all kinds of food, drink, and fuel.  A large bonfire had been set up in the middle of everything, and various volunteers rotated in and out throughout the day and night playing various kinds of music or providing other types of entertainment.  There would be a constant flow of music, skits, acrobatics, and magic tricks.  The festivities will be held throughout the day.

Not everything would go as planned, though.  There were a few tables among that many that had been set up courtesy of the Miasma.  They go unnoticed with everything else going on.  Really, there is enough for literally hundreds of people of various races, the handful of suspicious tables are easy to miss.  The contents of these tables will have peculiar effects on those who consume the contents offered upon them.  Nothing harmful really, just some effects to further encourage the lighthearted purpose of this gathering.

((ooc: tag in, mingle, have fun.  Effects can last for only the party or through the end of the week, and can be mixed as much as you want.))

Comments

[transitioner]

A cat padded around through the festivities - exploring, observing, interacting as much as those around it would tolerate. Children loved it. Adults were more mixed. The cat took it all in stride.

It wasn't often that it got to observe and enjoy such gatherings as a known participant.

[mercury_gaze]

Jendayi kind of teetered around from place to place. That was until she spotted a kitty. She wanted to pet the kitty; could she pet the kitty? Here, kitty, kitty.

She's just going to half stumble over to pet Death now...yes, because this is an amazing idea.

[transitioner]

Death is wary, hesitating just long enough to assess that the child is not in any danger of harm from the effect she is currently under. Satisfied that she will be fine, the cat trots to meet her halfway, purring and rubbing her leg.

[mercury_gaze]

This puts a grin on her face and she crouches...and promptly wobbles and plops onto her butt...and then reaches to pet the kitty.

"Soft kitty. You're so soft."

[the_other_green_seeker]

By the time Jadewing stumbled across the cat- almost literally so- he was so thoroughly drunk on the 'spiked' energon that he'd better hope that the magic didn't come with authentic hangover effects the next day. Right then, though, that was the last thing on Jadewing's processor. He was feeling great. Ok, so he wasn't especially steady on his feet. So what? Everything was about ten times funnier and more fun in his current state and he planned to enjoy it.

Almost stepping on cats, though, was not cool. "Whup... gotta watch that," he said, chuckling to himself. Then he got a better look at the feline in question. "Heeeeey... you look like Ravage, ya know that? Scept less... metal." That made him chuckle again. As if the cat was really gonna answer him.

[10_20_15_5_50]

Sam saw the cat, and stopped to stare.

That there was a cat wasn’t at all surprising; there were enough strays roaming Cybertron, one came to expect the occasional encounter. That there was that cat, though---that was surprising, because Sam had never expected a cat could be so sphincter-clenchingly spooky. With an aura not only absent---

There was a story the cat called to mind. A scary story to tell in the dark, about an old man, and an empty house, and talking cats, if they really were cats---Schwartz had also covered Like Cat’s Eyes in his collection, and that story was about something else.

Something else entirely.

[transitioner]

And at being noticed - and stared at - the cat in turn shifts its attention to the young woman.

WHATEVER QUESTIONS YOU HAVE, YOU ARE INVITED TO ASK.

And the creep factor probably just shot WAY UP, seeing as how that voice is not so much heard with the ears as simply understood with the mind.

[10_20_15_5_50]

Sam's eyes widened, and she thought Christ on a cracker, in what would've been a queerly conversational tone. Whatever questions---? Question. She had had only one, a second and a start hence; now she had another, and no intention of actually asking 'how badly is this going to go?'

It would be... rude, as would failing to answer that invitation.

Sam swallowed, managed the start of a (slightly sheepish) smile, and admitted, "I was wondering if you might not be Martin?"

[transitioner]

The head tilted in a way that would probably be almost comically cute if the whole creepiness hadn't already made itself a factor in things.

APPARENTLY I MIGHT NOT, MISS SAMANTHA. I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH WHO THAT IS.

Sam, Sam, no - the truth is even stranger than that.

[10_20_15_5_50]

"Oh." At least she hadn't assumed anything---just entertained the possibility, as it seemed pretty plausible. Sam drew a breath, crouched to come closer to a conversational elevation, and admitted, "It might be that no-one is, since the Martin I had in mind's only mentioned in an old story, and never actually appears. Since the story features a few... very unusual cats, and I've never come across anyone quite like you, it didn't seem like a stretch that maybe."

Stranger things had happened, though speaking of strange things, there was one the skin-witch felt it was important to address.

"Anyway, I was wrong; now, I'm wondering how it is you know my name."

[transitioner]

The cat seemed to grin at her.

I ASSURE YOU I AM QUITE UNLIKE ANY FELINE OR OTHER LIVING CREATURE YOU HAVE EVER COME ACROSS. OR LIKELY WILL AGAIN. AS FOR HOW I KNOW YOUR NAME, IT IS IN MY BEING. I KNOW THE NAMES OF EVERYONE HERE.

It wasn't that Death liked playing games with people, per se. Just that he'd learned to be slow and…delicate…in how he revealed himself to people, going at what he judged was a good pace case-by-case. Coming out right off the bat to tell people he was Death rarely if ever went over well, and he wasn't here to upset or give people psychoses.

[10_20_15_5_50]

"That's... kind of ominous. And I'm understating." As a sort of insurance, the adept hadn't offered anyone her middle name in years, going so far as to black it out on her identification (barring one or two absolutely-essential taxes-and-travel exceptions). Still, Sam remained where she was, since the cat at least seemed to be in good humour. "Mind giving me your name?"

[transitioner]

I DO NOT. I HAVE BEEN GIVEN MANY NAMES BY MANY PEOPLES. AZRAEL AND THE REAPER ARE THE MOST COMMON.

The cat's head tilted, studying her. Gauging her.

IT IS NOT MY INTENTION TO BE OMINOUS. MERELY . . . GENTLE. MANY ARE FRIGHTENED TO LEARN OF MY EXISTENCE, MANY MORE UNCOMFORTABLE AND WANTING NOTHING TO DO WITH ME. AT LEAST UNTIL THERE IS NO CHOICE.