One last party

[bythewaves]

Who: Arnold (and Benedict) and OPEN!
Where: The Benedict Family House in Locke
When: Now, and til... whenever I guess
What: Arnold's doing an art exhibit, and opening it with a massive party. Because that's what you do when you're idle rich, apparently. Numbered get in free but it *is* open to the public. Once the party is done, the main room of the house will remain open until he gets bored and closes it to have an exhibition elsewhere.

He's wanted to do an exhibit ever since he came to Locke, but what with one thing or another...

But you know, with the Moon being a Snake (and gosh darn it, but he wishes he hadn't slept through his mythology classes)... HEY you only live once right? There'll be flyers posted and ads on the TV, and his friends and pseudo family get invites. Numbered get in free, but Benedict Galleries is holding an open exhibition at the house in Locke.

Anyone and everyone is welcome, catering is provided. There'll be sculpture and art and a live band. Why not come along?

Arnold will be his professional best, grinning and chatting and hobnobbing, or maybe you just want to mingle? Catch up with a few friends, maybe. Benedict's around as well, being quiet and shy and retiring, but if you want to talk art, particularly some of the stranger avant garde type things, he's your man.

Come in, the booze is free.

And for family... well. He wants them to meet, the girl who might be his mother, and the boy who is definitely his father. And he wants them to meet Liam, and Julien, and he wants them to be friends. And if the world really is ending... well. What better place is there to meet that than with family, after all.

Comments

[espigeonage]

You can't miss Julien. Who else would be so gauche as to show up here wearing little but feathers?

Around non-numbered he seems more awkward and hesitant, self-conscious. Out of their presence he seems more confident, though it's hard to say how. Either way, he's friendly.

[copper_loved]

Cue a certain pointy-eared redhead approaching with wide grey eyes.

"Oh, wow. Um, would it be OK if I drew you? You just gave me a fantastic idea. I really love your blue feathers."

[espigeonage]

Towering over her, big and fluffy, he gives her an unreadable round-eyed bird look. "Well, galu to you too. I think I'd like your name first."

[mistakesmakeuswhoweare]

What's a gala for the idle rich artistic community without everyone's favorite romance author? She's even wearing that white lace dress that Julien likes so well. And she's already on her second, or is it her third, glass of wine.

"Hey, Blue. Bored yet?"

[espigeonage]

Julien's basically in just a tie. He has a few other things made up. They're best for cooler weather though, and he's always conscious of looking silly.

"Hey, Red. Maybe a little," he admits, voice controlled to keep from carrying. "I'm not so good at this kind of crowd as I used to be! Can't put on a tailcoat and get mistaken for a server anymore, apparently."

[alderaanda]

Free booze? -Nat is not an alcoholic, excuse her, but she is totally tasting things Americans say she's too young to taste. Even though she doesn't like any of it, it's an experience.

Somehow recent events haven't dampened her interest in that kind of thing. The way her hair is braided does show hints of scars across her scalp, though.

[copper_loved]

Her little sister is happy to see her too.

"I'm glad you came, Nat! Have you seen my art yet?"

[alderaanda]

Nat holds a sip of the dessert wine in her mouth, granting to herself that it's less bitter than most of these things, and swallows, feeling it warm down her throat. "Hey kid," she says once it's down, her lips stained redder. "Nah, not much of it. Most of this is new. What do you want to show me?"

[invinospiritus]

Gwyneth used the teleporter to get here, since the 'warp zone' looked unreliable and disorganized. Of course, that had another effect... she looks younger now, with darker skin, different eyes, and sharper features. She hangs around at the edges, often talking very fast into a phone. Someone with her profile has to make some decisions when her appearance changes.

[bythewaves]

Arnold almost walks past her before stopping, recognizing the tone and speech patterns.

"Gwyn? Is that you?"

[copper_loved]

The redheaded girl is like a bright beacon, and she is a ball of energy, so proud that some of her work is being shown at the gallery. Give her the chance, and she'll tell you everything about every piece.

Of course, she likes meeting new people too, but she tends to observe others and wait for them to come up to her if she doesn't know them.

[bythewaves]

I wonder if Nerdanel was a sulptor too but Arnold doesn't ask, not wanting to think about the implications too hard. Instead, he comes up and smiles at her in congratulations.

"It looks as if your work is very popular. Moreso even that the paintings, I think!"

[copper_loved]

"Thank you! I'm glad everyone likes them. And... I'm glad you let me show my work here. Most twelve-year-olds would never get a chance like this so..."

She gives him a quick hug.

"So, thanks."

[highly_gifted]

The boy who might be Arnold's father looks even younger than the last time that you saw him. He also wears a nice shirt and black jeans though, because you gotta look nice for things like this apparently.

Unlike his sister he isn't interested in the alcohol and instead checks out the pictures and sculptures in the exhibition with a distrustful frown on his face. Who knows how many of them were inspired by an echo, after all. (This is the main reason why he pays attention to them, though, so - you win some, you lose some?)

He also dragged his new-found brother with him (not that he has told anyone about this yet. Wanna come over and ask him why he's dragging Tony around the party with him?)

[oncedevil]

Too bad no one really warned Tony about dressing nice. He tried, mind you, but without the slightest clue on what 'nice' even really was for him, this resulted in the least worn pair of pants and shirt he owned being picked. Points for effort maybe? Anyone? No?

He hovers near Fe, a nervous figure clearly wary of the unknown crowds and unknown surroundings. This place is far too fancy for Tony's tastes, and once again he's fallen into his old habits of keeping his hands shoved in his pockets and trying desperately to not even look at any one thing too long lest someone accuse him of theft. Some habits die hard, and the ones that keep you out of trouble die the hardest. He's content to let Feivel act as a buffer between himself and everyone whom Tony is absolutely certain would descend upon him without warning to demand why he's even there.

Would anyone care to ask why Fe is not only dragging Tony with him but why Tony's half using him as a shield against social encounters? Congratulations, Fe, your brother is ridiculously awkward.

"So, what's all this stuff anyway?" He murmurs, really keeping more of an eye on the room at large than the things Fe's checking out, but he might as well ask.

[highly_gifted]

"Art." If you expected an enthusiastic explanation, you've come to the wrong one. Sorry? Feivel makes a vague gesture with his hand. "At least two of the people exhibiting here have made art based on echoes before, and the people whose reincarnations they are are from the same world as my other." So he's basically checking if they let themselves inspire by memories again. No actual interest in art.

[copper_loved]

Aubri sort of slips up behind him as he's looking at the artwork.

"See anything you really like?" she asked. "My stuff is over there, if you're interested..."

[highly_gifted]

"Is any of it inspired by an echo?" With you two, he's really not sure when he'll run into the next piece of artwork that portrays a former life.

[ruleorserve]

For the most part, Emil isn't terribly fond of parties. He'll go if there's reason to, or if there's something he needs to be present for, but by and large he's tended to keep to himself. And all the more so, after John had lost his echoes for good. But this... this is different. The whole world seems to be changing; hovering on the edge of something and for all he knows this might be the last chance he has.

Plus he is interested in seeing the exhibition itself and that's enough to get him to show up.

He looks much the same as he ever has, too. He might not exactly be going out of his way to seek people out, but he offers a polite nod to anyone passing by all the same.

[bythewaves]

"Hello Emil!" Arnold waves and comes over when he spots him.

"Care for a drink, or are you only here for the art?" There's plenty of his own work scattered about but the main artist is a young sculptor from England, this time, and most of the artworks were chosen to complement her work.

[arrowpoint]

Liam is uneasy being here. After learning that his father was a kinslayer in his past life it had been difficult to be around him. Something about the word was truly upsetting. However, he had always made it a point to show up for his father's art exhibits... probably because his mother had him trained to do so.

Right now he's sampling some of the organic red wine he'd found down in Uncle Teagan's wine cellar. Hopefully it would help him relax.

[highly_gifted]

"You don't look like you're interested in the art." Feivel has run out of tasks to do after only twenty minutes of being here. He may be dressed fairly nicely, but he also look young (even younger than a month ago) and after checking all pictures and other pieces of art for the possibility of there being echoed things in them, he went to find Nat (who is drinking things that he is fairly sure she shouldn't drink, but hey) and then to ...do something. Getting some juice is the next logical thing, really.

Tony is lingering nearby, but currently preoccupied with something else.

[stefanged]

Stefan gives Liam a nod of acknowledgement as he walks up, glass of sparkling white grape juice in hand. Even now, technically knowing he was Numbered, he couldn't quite bring himself to abandon his religious teachings.

"Hey." He's not sure what else to say. Technically, their parents had been good friends - to the point where Stefan still habitually called Arnold 'Uncle', whereas they... well, Stefan hadn't honestly heard from (or seen) Liam in years. "How's the wine taste?"

At least he's trying to be social.

[bythewaves]

"Liam?" Arnold hesitates, almost shy, and isn't that a ridiculous thought, he berates himself. But... Liam has been so distant, lately.

"Hi. Do ... are you enjoying it?" He knows Liam usually only comes to these because he's his son, but he appreciates that he always does.

[copper_loved]

The redheaded girl was watching him curiously, slowly getting closer to him. Eventually, she was close enough to be able to converse.

"You seem nervous. Are you worried for your dad? ...you are a Benedict, right?" She peered at him almost critically, studying every detail of his appearance. "That's funny... I've never drawn you... But you're his son..." Her mouth twisted into a thoughtful moue. "Do you look different now? I guess you look a little like Tyelko, but... not enough..."