The More Populated But Still Creepy Mansion, Wednesday Evening

[deathsmajesty]

It was Ignis' birthday today and between his general desire to not make a fuss over himself and her own desire to throw an island-wide celebration, Liliana had compromised on throwing him the smallest dinner(ish) party ever, just the six of them (seven, counting Noctra, which Liliana was if only to pad the numbers), and also Summer, who Liliana had managed to sneak in as the secret eighth guest in by calling her the bartender for the evening - even if she was one of the people on the island who had known Ignis the longest. Still, Liliana consoled herself, baby steps. This year, a tiny dinner party, next year a tasteful garden party, the year after that, absolute extravaganza.

And she could always demand absolute extravaganzas for her own birthdays until then, anyway.

Err. Not that she was making plans that far in advance, mind. Just, hypothetically, that would be the general progression of things, ahem.

Since they weren't actually sitting down for a meal and there were so few people, Liliana had set everything out in their large parlor with her steward on duty to rotate food from the kitchen to the sideboard before anything had a chance to sit out too long. Setting up an impromptu bar had taken a little finagling, but the clever use of a high table and an unused china cabinet (as well as the fervent wish that she'd tasked Prompto with entertaining Ignis all day so Gladio would have been available to hoist heavy furniture around) had given her Summer a corner of the room to work her magic, as well as plenty of room for the bottles of wine and jello shots she was bringing with her, which would join the bottle of excellent bourbon and the array of non-alcoholic beverages that Liliana had provided. Soft music was drifting out from several discreetly-placed speakers, kept low enough to not interfere with conversation, and there were plenty of comfortable places to sit. A last minute reminder from her steward meant the room had even been baby proofed, both in the sense of 'dangers removed for baby's safety' and 'valuables removed from baby's reach.'

Liliana liked her belongings intact and drool-free, thank you.

And now with the house prepared and the hostess ready, all that was lacking were people!

Comments

Nibble & Chitchat

[deathsmajesty]

Ignis had wanted hors d'oeuvres rather than a proper meal, and so on various tables around the parlor, their guests could find a number a tasteful charcuterie boards. Liliana had no idea why he was so vehement on the concept of tasteful charcuterie, but he had been and so she'd complied.

Most of the spread had been provided by Cafe Fina, with Nell bringing offerings of homemade bread and her own honey, while Liliana had overseen the presentation.

There were also plenty of warm or cold appetizers available to be enjoyed (including a special one in honor of Summer).

Lastly, there was a small corner table had only a stack of small plates and a fluffy chiffon cake placed upon it.

So yes, eat, drink, and be merry!

Summer at the Bar

[deathsmajesty]

Taking the evening off from her usual Caritas shift, Summer had driven an almost impossible bargain to agree to bartend tonight.

Liliana just hoped Ignis would forgive her.

OOC

[deathsmajesty]

Look at this slander L sent me last night. THE UNMITIGATED GALL.

Re: Summer at the Bar

[somethingwithturquoise]

Look, honestly, being invited to such an ~exclusive~ event was more than enough to convince Summer to get here, but if she could drive a hard bargain on top of it, she was going to do it.

Because, yeah, hi, she'd known these bros before all you bitches.

Her outfit was definitely both a nod to Ignis' personal style and her role as drink slinger tonight, and, as promised, she'd brought quite a few very nice wines and champagnes for everyone to enjoy....and one terrible one.

It came in a JUG!

And, of course, she had provided a variety of her fanciest of jello shots, of course, including a non-alcoholic one, something with champagne, something with layers, something with rosemary...a few fancy fruits....

And, of course, coffee.

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[chef_chocobro]

And Ignis did still feel a bit awkward over any level of fuss being made over him and his birthday; he was the one who did the fussing, not the other way around! But the fact that it was smaller and quiet and something Liliana would enjoy putting together helped with that significantly. If his birthday could be used as a convenient excuse for her to get to play hostess for a nice little get-together, then so be it.

But it was kind of nice, actually, and, if left to his own devices for too long, a soft soft of smile could be found drifting onto his face as he just sort of took it all in and appreciated it.

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[hashtag_chocobro]

It was really nice that Liliana had taken extra precautions to keep in mind the baby the might be in the situation, but, as it turned out, such precautions weren't necessary. Prompto was already feeling (unreasonably, he knew, because obviously it was fine, it was safe, how long had Iggy been living here already without an issue?) apprehensive about spending any extra amount of time in a creepy, unfamiliar house in the woods; the idea of also bringing Noctra had made him almost sick. Yes, he knew the likelihood of something terrible, especially something like that last time he'd found himself in a creepy, unfamiliar house in the woods, was very small. Probably almost impossible. But fear wasn't exactly known for its tendency toward being logical, and trauma was a hell of a drug to quit.

But both his go-to babysitters would be at the party, too. Thankfully, Prompto remembered that there was a whole pool of other people he could tap into, and, especially remembering when she was his student and offered a lot of help while Liz was pregnant, he decided to give Libby a try for the evening. She had been telling him about her big family and everything, after all, so she had plenty of experience with kids, and she worked at the clinic, so if anything happened, she might be able to handle it...

So he was going to be nervous about the kid, either way, but this lessened it a little. He was still probably going to spend a lot of time drifting out to the garden for fresh air, though, and a reminder that he could step out at all, and even then, he hovered by the door a little, because while Fandom had done a lot to settle his fear of the dark, especially when he was on the island, it really hadn't done much to help by way of his fear of the woods in the dark...

But it was a party. It was Iggy's party! So Prompto was really doing his best to put all of that aside and have a good time for him.

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[flamesburned]

Liz looked over at Prompto, having an idea of how nervous he was being at the house and about leaving Noctra.

She was also a little nervous about leaving Noctra but she had met Libby and she knew that Libby was capable and she would be fine for the evening.

“If you do want to leave early, we can,” she said softly, wanting to reassure Prompto that they didn’t have to stay to long if he wanted to leave.

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[sword_chocobro]

Some people might have seen all that food and thought, for a party this size, that it was kind of excessive, but those people had clearly never witnessed exactly how many small bites someone of Gladio's size could put down without even really thinking about it.

And, overall, he had to say, it did all feel very Ignis,so props to Liliana there, but really, after what she dragged him into last week....it was kind of the least she could do, right?

(And, yes, he knew it was more likely an example of Ignis throwing himself into it, but still...)

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[flamesburned]

Liz had helped herself to a plate of various appetisers and was doing her best to relax and enjoy the party, the fact it was so small was definitely helping and she was trying to reassure herself that Noctra would be fine with Libby.

Even though it was still weird to think that this time last year she had been heavily pregnant with Noctra and just how quickly the last year had gone.

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[hashtag_chocobro]

Prompto smiled a little at Liz, a smile that was trying its best to be light while his hand squeezed her tightly and gratefully.

"I know," he said, wondering if she knew how much even just hearing those words--if you want to leave, we can--helped. He just needed to keep reminding himself of that. He could leave whenever he wanted.

He breathed out and then turned to Liz with his smile turned up that much more, before looking around a little and trying to focus on something else. "Liliana did a great job with the food, though, huh?" he asked, and then chuckled a little nervously. "Guess she'd kind of have to, though, if it's for Iggy!"

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[deathsmajesty]

As soon as Ignis had arrived, Liliana had immediately claimed his arm and taken him on an extensive tour of the parlor, stopping at each table to list out what was on it and offer a description of it, clearly just bragging about her hostessing skills and nothing more. Certainly nothing like carefully helping him to get a new lay of the land, as it were, with the parlor undergoing such a drastic transformation and Ignis' notorious hatred of having to use a cane.

No, at best, their tour of slow, measured steps was so that Ignis knew where all the different foods were located, so he could fetch her small plates of nibbles when she wanted them.

The only table that didn't get a loving description of everything on it was the cake table, that got a quick, "And here is the table with your cake, shall we see what Summer is serving?" and Liliana was immediately shifting to glide away.

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana hadn't questioned their arrival without the baby - even if it had thrown off her count - because, well, it was a party. If they wanted a few hours without their child, who could blame them? But the third time Prompto had drifted outside, Liliana followed.

"Darling, are you all right?" she asked, arching an eyebrow in his direction. She held out a plate of appetizers at him, mostly fruits and veggies, though there was a nice thick piece of bread with honey on it for sweet. "We're redoing the grounds after the house, so there's not much to look at out here. Or does Ignis have you on lurker lookout, hmm?"

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[mylandmyrules]

Nell was here with a selection of herb seedlings for Ignis such as lemongrass, thai basil, and others that were not as easily available as fresh herbs.

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[deathsmajesty]

Ah yes. Liliana was, of course, quite noted for her gratitude towards other people. Almost as much as she was noted for loving it when other people had opinions on who to be grateful to, why, and how to go about expressing it.

"Gladio," she greeted, when the ebb and flow had drifted her over in his direction, mostly because she wanted to raid the food on the table next to him. "Thank you for keeping him occupied while I got this all set up, so I didn't have to threaten his coffee to make him stop trying to fuss."

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[deathsmajesty]

"Liz, darling, lovely to see you again," Liliana said, gliding over to offer the pyromancer a greeting and a smile. "Thank you for coming, I'm sure you and Prompto have a lot to do to prepare for Noctra's party, and I'm sure Ignis appreciates you taking the time to come to his."

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[deathsmajesty]

The flustered, frustrated, and floured woman from yesterday had vanished completely, like frost under a summer sun. Liliana was back to being elegant and sophisticated, without a single stray eggshell or smoke smudge to be found.

She had, however, kept her disdain of sifting flour, on the off-chance anybody brought that up. "Nell, dear, welcome. Thank you so much for the bread and honey," she said, gesturing at all the platters where her loaves and combs had been worked into the display.

Re: Summer at the Bar

[deathsmajesty]

"Oooh," Liliana said, coming over to see all of what Summer had wrought. "These jello shots look fantastic. I can't wait to try a little of almost everything you've brought."

Almost everything. That jug was getting a hell of a side eye.

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[hashtag_chocobro]

"Hmm?" asked Prompto, looking from Liliana to the plate she held out. He hadn't really been eating too much, because of his nerves and his stomach, but he had yet to meet a fresh fruit these days that he didn't like, so it would probably be a good idea to pluck up one of those and pop it into his mouth. "Uh, thanks, and, no, don't worry about it, I'm fine. Just, you know....needed some fresh air..."

He couldn't really blame it on the crowd, either, when it was really just them, but he had a back up, giving Liliana a sheepish grin as he lifted his phone a little and shrugged.

"Trying a new babysitter tonight. She's good, and obviously we trust her, but, you know." He chuckled. Awkwardly, of course. "Can't really help being a little nervous anyway, right?"

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[deathsmajesty]

Ignis barely counted, of course, with the breadth of his palate, but she had noticed an appreciation of fresh produce in Gladio and Prompto as well, and it wasn't hard to draw a few obvious lines to a decade of sunless existence and some ideas of what that had done to food production. She hadn't even needed to live through the Lorwyn-Shadowmoore swap to make a few educated guesses there.

"It wouldn't be easier to check your phone back in the house?" Liliana asked. "No one would consider you rude, I'm sure. If anything, I'm sure Ignis and Gladio want to keep tabs on their possible competition."

Re: Summer at the Bar

[somethingwithturquoise]

Ah, but the real question was how you would feel about that jug after you'd tried everything else!

Summer, of course, beamed proudly at Liliana's assessment.

"Thank you," she gushed. "Please make sure to also tell Ignis how good I made them look, too, because if I tell him, he will not believe me."

And she had no one to blame but herself, because that's what happened when literally half your early friendship with someone was based entirely on sending them pictures of the most horrendous food you could find and also teasing him about his total himbo boyfriend.

Re: Summer at the Bar

[deathsmajesty]

It was a good thing Liliana didn't know much about Goose beyond the sobriquet, because she would have so many questions about Ignis dating a himbo.

(Also, himbo was a delightful portmanteau she would steal immediately upon hearing it for the first time.)

"Oh?" she laughed, as sparkling as the champagne jello shot. "And you think he'll trust my judgment after I admit to allowing you to bring jugged wine into--our house?" Just the slightest pause there before the plural possessive pronoun over the more neutral 'the.'

"Though he may require that I sample all of them and report back my findings, which..." She placed a tragic wrist to her forehead. "If I must, I must. I'll find a way to rise to the occasion somehow."

Weird how that applied to the jello shots, and not the jug wine.

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[sword_chocobro]

Well, Gladio definitely was a man of strong opinions about a lot of things, but at least he was better about keeping them to himself more often than not these days.

He nodded. "Gonna take more than that to get him not to fuss," he grunted faintly, "but don't mention it. Like I said, I'm glad to help, it's really nice for you to put this all together for him."

See? No strong opinions, even compliments!

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[deathsmajesty]

"I mostly meant him not fussing about here, not in general," she drawled. "I don't expect the impossible from you, Gladio. And, please don't even mention it."

She waved a hand. "Nice had nothing to do with it. He periodically needs reminders that he deserves to be appreciated and celebrated as much as anyone else gathered here, and what better time than his birthday?" She slipped at her wine, watching Ignis chat with people, expression fonder than she intended. "It's an uphill battle, but I'm stubborn and he's educable, so I'm sure he'll learn eventually."

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[chef_chocobro]

And, really, if this had been the whole sum of the event, with Liliana carefully guiding him with her arm in his, leading him through as he took a marked interest in the rearrangement, endlessly describing all the little bites of food to him with the clear pleasure of pride in voice, Ignis would be incredibly content. Well. Perhaps not endlessly, he was looking forward to actually enjoying the morsels and had already mapped out a potential plan for which order (depending, of course, on the wine options), in fact.

And to have the cake met with such an abrupt dismissal after everything else so perfectly detailed, especially in light of the mysteriously absent ingredients yesterday....well, it was certainly not going to go unnoticed.

Whether or not it should also go unremarked, however...

He moved with that shifting glide easily, but it was not long after disregarding the dessert that he really couldn't help himself in asking.

"Is that truly all there is to say about the cake?" He sounded more curious than skeptical, although they were both present in the inquiry. "Simply 'there it is, now let's move on to the refreshments'?"

Re: Nibble & Chitchat

[deathsmajesty]

Have you ever considered being a less clever man, Ignis? Things would be so much easier sometimes.

"W-well," Liliana said, with only the slightest vocal stumble, which only someone listening closely and well-attuned to her normal speech patterns would even have noticed, "there isn't much to say about it. At least not until you try it, of course. It's something of a surprise."

She was looking forward to him trying it and realizing that it was his chiffon cake that he had such an important memory of from his childhood, but, for as much as she liked claiming credit for things both earned and not, she was shying away from claiming credit for this. Not even because she doubted how it would taste. Nell's assistance was enough for her to be confident that the cake had turned out all right. But something about admitting that she'd even tried to bake a cake for him left her feeling oddly exposed and vulnerable.

Probably just the left of a reaction from yesterday's disasters. Liliana never enjoyed reminders of times she set out to do something and failed. Yes, clearly that was it.