Finally, another party

[puppy_lancer]

Characters: ProtoLancer puppy_lancer, Zero Lancer oathshackledbird and anyone interested in attending a birthday party. Details here.
Setting: Meadow
Format: Anything goes
Summary: Lancer throws his brother a party. Everyone can come except for the Archer (meaning they can come crash the party anyways)! Feel free to tag into any of the threads set up or invent your own scenario.
Warnings: None yet!

[It had taken some preparing, but the party was finally set up in a satisfactory way. There was a table for food and drink dragged in from the cafeteria, a wooden bucket filled with water with fruit floating in it, a strange paper mache Jason head pinata stacked on a scarecrow body, and a board with a pig with a Ganon head scribbled on it along with several spiraling paper "tails" attached to thumbtacks. There are no party decorations, but Lancer figures the flowers and sunshine should be decoration enough.]

[Now it's just a matter of waiting for people to show up.]

Comments

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid shakes his head, not missing how pleased his friend seems with the tea.]

I take it this month's menu pleases you? The drinks anyway? Though, I have to wonder if you have spiked it with a bit of the other interesting thing on our drinks menu this month. My brother is sure hitting the alcohol hard enough, and he made sure I drank some before he would let me be.

[fionnuisce]

Please. I would only do that with certain varieties. As it is, the quality's too nice to bother mixing it with anything else.

[Tea is serious shit here.]

[oathshackledbird]

You, Mami, and Edgeworth. I don't understand your obsessions with tea.

[Diarmuid shakes his head, smiling at Waver fondly.]

You three should really meet. Maybe Mami can have another tea party. She is an excellent hostess and cook as well. I am afraid the party she had with me the other month was a slight waste. I don't mind tea, but I clearly don't enjoy it like you do.

Someone gave me some Irish Breakfast Tea as a gift. I used a little at the party, but I still have most of it. Would you like me to give it to you for months when there isn't such a good beverage selection?

[fionnuisce]

It's just short of a national treasure where I come from.

[Shrug.]

No, keep it. I can get by well enough with or without it.

[oathshackledbird]

You Brits and your odd tastes...

[Diarmuid laughs lightly.]

Are you sure? I'm not doing anything with it but saving it in case Mami ever wants some tea for one of her parties. It's in a small wooden box in my trunk if you happen to change your mind. Just ask or feel free to stop in and grab some...

[His voice suddenly trails off. When he starts talking again, it is much lower in volume as if he doesn't want others overhearing him.]

I'm sorry you weren't able to be moved into my room. I didn't know it, but my friend Ryoji also asked for a room transfer. He did it while he was under the influence of my curse early in the month.

[fionnuisce]

Keep it, really. Or we could always share it at some point.

[Waver shrugged, not seeming too bothered by the idea.]

I noticed as much--it's fine. I hardly took it as any personal insult. Honestly, it might be better if we're separate; if something happens, one of us can retreat to the other's room easily.

[oathshackledbird]

I would not mind sharing it with you. Perhaps, you can find a way to explain to me why you like it so much sometime.

[Relief enters Diarmuid's eyes.]

I am glad you aren't upset. After thinking about it for a while, I realized the same thing as you. It probably isn't a bad thing to have another room that is a 'safe' place. Despite having my brother with me when I sleep in my room most of the time, I still think I sleep better when I am in yours.

Besides, Ryoji has unfortunately drawn the attention of some of the villains in the tower. With him in the room, I can better try to keep an eye on him and keep him out of trouble. I don't know how successful I will be, but I have to try.

[fionnuisce]

...You'd better stay safe yourself.

[Waver glanced at Diarmuid almost critically, a trace of concern in his tone.]

From what I've heard, some people aren't the type that one would want to get mixed up with.

[oathshackledbird]

I will do my best for I fear these may be some of those people.

[Diarmuid sighs, his voice dropping again to make extra sure that no one nearby can hear.]

He has been threatened and I fear one of his friends may have been severely hurt or killed by them to scare him quiet. I am not sure what I am going to do, but I do know I have to be careful so that no one else is hurt because of this.

[fionnuisce]

...hm. I guess we'll just have to tread carefully for now.

[oathshackledbird]

We?

[Diarmuid raises an eyebrow at him.]

No insult, my friend, but I really would rather you not be involved at all. As you say...

[He suddenly pauses, shutting his eyes.]

But I can't do this alone. If you do anything, please be careful. Ryoji may not know you that well, but he would still be very upset if you were hurt, and I don't think I even need to say how I would feel if you were hurt.

[fionnuisce]

We do everything together, don't we?

[Waver raised an eyebrow, calm as ever.]

I am hardly going to stand back and let you prance around in thigh-high boots looking for trouble. What self-centered coward could live with themselves doing that?

[oathshackledbird]

'Prance around in thigh-high boots?'

[Diarmuid repeats the words quietly before turning bright red as the Grail throws an implication at him he really didn't need.]

I didn't pick them! The original boots with my armor looked nothing like this!

[fionnuisce]

[Waver laughed, hiding a mischievous smile behind his cup of tea.]

I know, I know. I was only joking.

[oathshackledbird]

I knew that.

[Diarmuid crosses his arms over his chest and looks away slightly. Is he pouting? Oh, yes, he is pouting...]

[fionnuisce]

Of course you did. For what it's worth, I preferred the older armor.

[Shrug.]

At any rate, my point is that you're not going to go dancing into the line of fire without me.

[oathshackledbird]

When did you see my old...

[Diarmuid pauses, suddenly blushing slightly from embarrassment when he realizes his mistake.]

Right, you probably saw some of mi--his memories though your link.

[And abrupt change of topic, go, since someone is still uneasy about their memory exchange not that long ago.]

Thank you for helping. I can't do this alone. And I don't want to. These people...it would be too easy for them to defeat one person no matter how talented. Have you met the elder Sephiroth yet?

[fionnuisce]

How else did you think I was able to mimic those swords? It may have been a long time ago, but I've seen a fair amount.

[He shrugged again, dismissive.]

Not yet, but I've been warned about him left and right. I take it that's who we're dealing with?

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid nods. While he would like to ask Waver more about what memories he had seen, he leaves his curiosity for another time since there are more important matters to discuss.]

Yes, I am pretty sure I was one of those people who warned you about him. Right now, he is the one who I have seen actually following Ryoji and watching him. I am not convinced he is working along, though, and some of the things Ryoji told me hint that others besides him are also involved. He didn't say who, so the best I can do is trying to figure out what to do about Sephiroth at the moment.

[fionnuisce]

That's probably the best course of action at the moment. But charging ahead like idiots and getting into fights we can't win isn't a possibility I particularly like. Is there any way to keep an eye on Ryoji and see who else he might be associating with?

[oathshackledbird]

Well, he is in the room with me now and we train together, but I worry about following him constantly. That might tip off those who are watching him and make things worse. Also...

[Diarmuid pause a moment to think, trying to sort out the best way to describe Ryoji to him.]

...he doesn't believe in himself very much. It is hard. He is finally starting to have a little confidence in himself. He is finally starting to believe he deserves things--things so basic as friends and family. I don't want to risk ruining that.

[Sound familiar Waver?]

[fionnuisce]

What about spirit form? Of course knowing our luck, they're sensitive to magic.

[Beat.]

So he's basically you, then.

[oathshackledbird]

Knowing what I know from the younger Sephiroth, I am sure the elder would be able to sense someone in spirit form. It would probably be better to assume anyone else who works with him can too.

[Diarmuid blushes slightly.]

He..he is like me, isn't he? Maybe that is why I care about him so much. I want him to be stronger. He deserves to be happy just as much as anyone else.

[fionnuisce]

That figures.

[Waver sighed, having expected things to make themselves difficult.]

Try to remember this conversation next time you start thinking poorly of yourself. What you want for that kid is no less than some of us want for you.

[oathshackledbird]

I...I know.

[Diarmuid pauses, seeming to think for a moment before looking up at Waver.]

Please be patient a little longer. I am trying. I don't know if this makes much sense, but I feel like something is about to change. Like maybe all my thinking about the things we have talked about is finally getting me somewhere.

Hope...it is so rare here and yet, somewhere deep inside me I almost think that is what I'm feeling. It's strange. Nothing about our situation has really changed, so where is this coming from?