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

[tacosgay]

"Yyyyeah, okay... I'm gonna be honest here: that's pretty fuckin' weird." Taako shrugs, grinning. And then he taps a finger against his lip, frowning lightly. "Mm. Am I supposed to watch my mouth around you? I mean, I don't really care, I just thought I'd ask while we're here and all."

[wild_magic]

He nods a little in agreement, because honestly it really is weird.

But he can't help but laugh at his question. "My brother wouldn't like it, if he heard it, but I've heard all sorts of bad words in inns before. And in other languages, too."

[tacosgay]

"Oooh, worldly." Taako smirks... and then pauses, a bit nervously. "So, where's this brother of yours? He's not, uh, anywhere in earshot right at this second, is he?"

[wild_magic]

He shakes his head, looking around again.

"I think he went in to see the animals. He's shy so he doesn't like parties, but he wouldn't let me come by myself."

[tacosgay]

"Hm. Kind of a clinger, huh?" It's mostly a joke, but not entirely.

Taako has a hard time understanding that; insisting that younger folks need to have someone watching them at all times. He handled himself just fine, after all, and look at him now, all grown up and saving the world every other day. He casts his mind briefly over his own childhood...

... and then quickly hisses, as though he stepped on a thorn, snapping back to the present.

What the hell...?

[wild_magic]

"Kind of! It's just the two of us, so I think he worries about what he'd do if something happened to me..."

He would continue, but instead he trails off, a little worried about him.

"Are you okay?" Did he get hurt or something?

[tacosgay]

Just the two of them.

Taako is quiet for a few seconds, a hand pressed at his temple.

"... yeah, uh... no, I'm fine, bubale, don't worry about it. Just... got a headache or something." He offers Susan a smile. "Anyway. Uh. Nice party, huh?"

[wild_magic]

He's honestly still a little worried, but still, if he says there's nothing to worry about...

He nods at the question, even offering a little smile of his own (although a bit subdued - he is still worried, after all).

"I like it. But I don't have lots of parties to compare it to, I guess!"

[tacosgay]

Pff. Good kid. Taako's smile softens just a little bit at the edges.

"You guys must not go to a whole lot of parties, huh? Well, hey, apparently, that's gonna change around here, given they have parties for everything including... weird multi-headed rats' birthdays," he says, shrugging.

[wild_magic]

"There aren't lots of parties in the forest! Well... Except for the weird druid ones Lauren goes to. Where they... Talk to trees or something." He's not really sure, since he doesn't get to go to them. He just guesses that's what they do. That or turn into animals and have animal contests or something?

He nods again after a moment's thought though.

"They do! They had one when we got here just for everyone showing up, and there was this machine that made music just for people to sing to! It was really cool."

[tacosgay]

"Hell yeah, sounds like you guys had a pretty chill time," Taako says, finally seeming to fully recover from... whatever that little flash of a moment was. Maybe it was just the carnival messing with his head. There's apparently a lot of magic floating around; didn't someone say it can mess with magic users...? Maybe that's all it was. "Maybe at the next party, I'll whip up something nice over in the cookhouse and show off my skills in the culinary arts."

[wild_magic]

"Oh, you can cook?" That's pretty exciting, and it definitely grabs his attention away from anything else.

"I don't know how to cook a lot, only squirrels and rabbits and deers and stuff. Nothing like bread or anything."

[tacosgay]

"Oh-- oh, hohoho, can I cook?" He breaks into a wide, toothy grin, flattening a hand at his chest. "Oh, pumpkin-- it's me, Taako. Of course I cook! I used to have my own show, you know!"

... and then his pride drops a bit, that grin dropping off into something of a sour smirk.

"... aaand now I work as a line cook here at the carnival. Somewhat less... pizzazz than I'm used to, if I'm honest, but what can you do, hm?"

[wild_magic]

He's not quite sure how you could do a show about cooking, but it seems interesting and exciting at least.

"Well... Maybe if you work really hard then the Ringmaster will see how good you are at cooking and give you a better job!"

[tacosgay]

That seems to catch Taako off guard, and it shows-- he stops short, looking at Susan incredulously.

"Wait, you can get promoted at this place?"

[wild_magic]

He nods enthusiastically.

"Yeah! At least, I know there was this one guy who got turned into the Nightrider or whoever so it happened at least once! So if you cook really good then maybe you can get a better job, too."

[tacosgay]

"Uh-huh, and what... exactly is the Nightrider? Is that, like, a job, or...?" It sounds more like a supervillain, but he doesn't voice that.

[wild_magic]

"I... Don't really know. I think he's a supervisor?" He honestly doesn't know much about the departments other than his own and the one his brother is in. But he's pretty sure that's right...

"I don't really know what he does, though."

[tacosgay]

"Rrright. That's fine, I'll just have to ask around, I guess."

He's still entirely convinced that guy is a supervillain.

... and then a thought occurs to him.

"Hey, so... do you have a job around here, too?" Can she put kids to work around here? Angus might work for the Bureau, but that's kind of a special situation-- generally, it's pretty frowned upon to put kids to work.

[wild_magic]

If Susan knew what a supervillain were he would probably agree. As it is though he thinks it's just someone who rides on a horse at night or something... Which sounds like a very silly job.

He nods at the question though, excited to once again talk about himself.

"Yeah! I do lots of things... Mostly it's all talking to people, getting them to want to play the games or trying to help when they get into fights and stuff."

[tacosgay]

"... huh. O... kay, well, that's worrying, but we'll unpack all that later. So, what, did you get into something around here, or did working for a fae just sound super chill to you?"

Then again, given the stories one typically hears about fae, he isn't sure why he's surprised she's fine with putting kids to work around the carnival. At least she's not... stealing them at random or something like that.

[wild_magic]

"Well..." He actually looks a little embarrassed as he fidgets for a minute while he thinks of how to say it.

"Sometimes my magic just... Does things when I use it. And it made a Fireball and broke some booths."

[tacosgay]

"... oooooh, right, right, okay." He grins, but it isn't cruelly, and he pats Susan on the head. "Hey, don't worry about it, little man, happens to everybody when you first start out. I'm sure you'll get a good cap on that thing once you get more practice in."

[wild_magic]

"It's done it ever since I was really little though. Most of the time it doesn't bother me, but Lauren..." He stops himself there, shaking his head. His brother doesn't like all the side effects, he knows it. Sometimes he thinks Lauren must wish he didn't have his magic at all. But he doesn't say any of that, just smiling again instead.

"It's okay though, magic is fun to use so it's worth it."

[tacosgay]

"Hell yeah it is." Taako grins at him, almost devilish. "Espcially once you really start getting out there and building it up. I can do some crazy stuff, if the Ringmaster hasn't, uh, gotten pissed and put a cap on it, anyway."

He hasn't yet had the chance to properly test most of his spells, and he doesn't really want to go casting things like Crown of Madness willy-nilly.