RAT PARTY LOG: Day 105

[dorkypantsuit]

Who: Everyone and anyone.
What: A party.
Where The menagerie.
When: Day 105


It’s a rat’s birthday party, and if you’re in the labor crew attendance is mandatory. After watching his department's sense of team spirit drop to dangerous levels Psi has decided to try and force people to have a little fun. Of course, the recent lack of camaraderie among the Labor Department isn’t the sole reason for the party; as Ginko had mentioned, anyone who decides to take a look at Rex the rat king will find a seventh head apparently in the process of emerging from around his shoulder. It’s not quite fully formed yet, essentially just a nose and mouth poking through the fur, but it’s very definitely there.


I. GINKO AND REX
A table has been set up near Rex’s enclosure with a number of rat king-safe treats laid out on it, so as to reduce the risk of visitors giving him something he shouldn’t eat. All the same, Ginko will be spending most of his time near Rex, and keeping an eye on things - just in case he has to, you know, discourage people from putting their fingers too close to the new mouth, or something like that. Fingers are not considered rat king-safe treats.

II. TWISTER AND OTHER FUN GAMES
Psi is here as well obviously, and he does have twister. He won’t actually make you play, but he will call you a wuss if you refuse to join in. Twister isn’t the only game they have available though, as later on Psi will also be forcing allowing people to play “Who Am I?” In this game the name of another person at the carnival is placed on a player’s back. Players then have to guess whose name is on their back by asking questions yes or no questions about that person to other people at the party. (Feel free to pick whatever name you want for your character.) Although Labor Department members have to play, others are welcome to join too.

III. FOOD
But what would a party be without the free food? There’s lots of good stuff. BBQ Ribs, Chicken Adobo, Pork Mango Habanero and for dessert there’s cupcakes in the chocolate and lemon flavored variety. Lar’s made it all so feel free to be shocked about that.

((OOC: As this is a party log feel free to make your own top-levels))

Comments

[starseedling]

Steven has been wandering around the party for a while, eating food, playing with the rat, etc - but it isn't until he overhears Taako talking that he will really gain his attention. Steven turns around, pointing his finger at Taako as if with some great revelation.

"It's you!!" he says, too loudly.

[tacosgay]

"You found me," Taako answers calmly, eyebrows raised. He smirks down at Steven, clearly confused, but amused enough to go with it. "What can I do you for, little man?"

He doesn't recognize this kid at all-- not his voice or his face. Then again, the main radio channel is apparently broadcast to literally everyone, so maybe he's heard Taako's important conversations with the others and has become a fan.

That, or he's done something to offend him. Either way.

[starseedling]

Well, "fan" might not be the right word, but he has Steven's attention, anyway. Not that that's hard to get, exactly. Steven stops pointing and comes over, giving him a friendly smile and a welcoming wave.

"You were the new guy on the radio, right?" he asks, sounding pretty chipper about it. "Are you feeling any better?"

[tacosgay]

Oh, geez. Another one of these, huh? Taako takes a rather long sip of punch before he answers.

"... nope!" And then he goes back to his punch, shrugging his shoulders lightly.

[starseedling]

"Oh..." Well that was very blunt, but... well, fair enough. Steven considers that for a while, and then shrugs a shoulder helplessly in return.

"That's fair... it's kind of..." He scratches his cheek uncertainly. "...A lot of people end up here that way, I guess. Sorry that it happened to you."

[tacosgay]

"Eh... I mean, it's like I told somebody else-- it's probably a whole hell of a lot better here than it is where I was headed before I got here." He sighs, retrieving his Umbra Staff to lean on it as he addresses Steven. He's pretty tall, so maybe that'll help lessen the height difference between the two of them, anyway. "Honestly, it was probably either get stuck in here, or die over there, and dying is basically my least favorite thing to do? So..."

[starseedling]

Steven sort of assumes that death in this case is permanent and Taako is just being flippant, but he doesn't actually know. Steven ruffles his hair a bit, thoughtfully. Steven still has to look up, because he's extremely short.

"Oh, yeah. I get how that is," he says, and then rethinks it a moment later. "Not that I've died or anything! Just... almost died, a lot. I thought being here would like a vacation, but then... I almost died a lot here, too."

[tacosgay]

"Yeah, I've been dead a few times. Er... a few... dozen times..." Taako trails off, taking another sip of his drink, as though he's just discussing the weather. "It's not great, I wouldn't suggest it. Zero out of ten on that review, you get me?"

[starseedling]

"Oh... Huh." Right okay, so maybe death is more casual there than expected. Sounds almost like a gem poofing. Suffice to say, Steven is familiar with the concept. Still, though...

"Uh... Not to freak you out or anything, but the stuff you're used to relying on for that might not work here. If you die with the carnival, it... might be super for real?"

[tacosgay]

"Yeah, no, I'm kind of a special case." Taako shrugs his shoulders, and turns to fetch himself some more of that punch as he speaks. "I actually got super in trouble for it, because I was not... really supposed to come back at all. Time was kind of fucked, it was complicated."

He then thinks for a bit-- and then shrugs, pouring Steven a cup as well, and he offers it to him.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna go throwing myself into whatever trouble I see breaking out around here, trust me on that."

[starseedling]

"Ah, I see, mhmm!" Steven says, as if that makes perfect sense. He takes the punch that is being offered, and politely takes a sip. "I understand."

He doesn't understand.

"That's okay, though. That's what the security team is supposed to be for! Except when the boss gets kidnapped by vampires and everyone has to go to a hell dimension to bust them out."

Just, you know. Theoretically. Steven looks a little bit haunted.

[tacosgay]

"... ah." Taako's voice is... well. Higher than usual. That's... not something he expected to hear come out of this little guy. His eyebrows shoot up, and he blinks down at him for a moment, clearly taken aback. "So, uh, what I'm getting here is, things aren't always this chill around here, are they?"

[starseedling]

Steven flushes, and then shakes his head. Wow, was that just a super weird thing he said just now? If it was, he totally didn't notice.

"Some of the people who have been around longer say that it's not usually so bad. The carnival just... kind of got in trouble with some bad guys, and I guess they wanted to take it out on everyone here."

The whole thing was kind of a blur at the time but the combination of getting marred by Peridot and almost getting stepped on by a giant demon along with everyone else... was it weird that he kept thinking about that a lot? He can tell that the people who were captured probably do.

[tacosgay]

"... geez. Sounds like I got myself into some real shit in here, huh, bubale?"

Taako's voice and expression are, well... honestly, a bit softer around the edges than before. Yeah, he's still talking about himself, but there's a clear element of something else just beneath it.

It's not quite empathy, but it might be related to it.

He offers Steven a smile, but it's insincere.

"But, hey, it looks like you guys got outta there alright. I mean, the carnival's still here and all."

[starseedling]

Steven brightens up a little, shifting past that bad mood more quickly than might be expected. He just doesn't feel like dwelling on it for long. He's at a party!

"Y-Yeah! We got everybody out and everything..." He rubs his neck. "Most of the time I'm just doing performance stuff! I like that way better."

[tacosgay]

"Oh, yeah? What's your act?" Ah ha, right out of awkward town and back on track. Cool work, there, Taako.

[starseedling]

Sorry Taako, this just happens sometimes.

"Uh... kind of a lot of stuff, actually! I play some music, tell some jokes... use my magic powers a bit, and sometimes I pretend that my pet lion ate me!"

Its not the most realistic ruse but he wouldn't want to be too scary or anything. And Lion would only put up with so much.

[tacosgay]

"Man of many talents, huh. That is so great." And then he pauses. "... you, uh... you have a pet lion?