How could this happen? (afterparty)

[folkscallmewander]

[Wander has reeled back from this execution faster than Mulan's. This murder wasn't an accident, but it was still terrible all around, and it wouldn't have happened under normal circumstances. Knowing that Tadashi planned this out made it...a bit better, but it still made something awful eat at his stomach.

Speaking of which, everyone needed to eat something light today. Right after the trial, he heads to the kitchen and prepares twenty bowls of fruit salad and mixes together ingredients for chocolate chip cookies. While they're cooling off, he slides a note under everyone's rooms.]



There's fruit in the lounge, cookies coming soon. We should stick together, especially after this.

♥ Wander

Comments

[nobodyperfect]

[While he initially questions where Wander is getting paper for this, this week, Lea actually attends the afterparty. He's not in the mood for cookies, but he IS a teenage boy, so he's a little bit hungry.

When he gets to the lounge, he looks around a bit before grabbing an orange and plopping into a chair to peel it.]

[folkscallmewander]

[Wander pokes his head from behind the side of the chair. You could have walked up like a normal person, Wander.]

Need help with that? [Points at the orange.]

[arpeggiositar]

[Now that there has been a real bonafide murder, Demyx is starting to get nervous about what things will happen from now on. Much to his surprise, he finds himself wondering for Lea and Naminé are doing, which is why he goes to the afterparty instead of calling it a day.

He knows Axel would be taking the situation with a flippant attitude, not really being daunted by anything. However this is Lea, with a heart and all. He's bound to be taking this somewhat different, he supposes. Demyx approaches]

Hey. How are you? You okay so far?

[You alright, Lea?]

[chainbroke]

[ Hey, Lea, here's Naminé offering a cup of tea. She doesn't quite look at him, though. ]

[ilovepuppies]

[Star wanders in a little bit later, and goes straight for the cookies. But, as she plops down near Lea, she's not devouring it as quickly as she usually would. She takes a few nibbles before staring at it, then tossing it on a nearby end table.]

'M not hungry.

[aboyandhiscar]

Make sure you eat a little more than just that. Can't be on your toes with just a piece of fruit.

[Mike just casually comments on the orange in passing. He's been pretty bad at eating lately, but his body is quick to remind him by passing the heck out. Gotta keep those carbs up.]

[folkscallmewander]

[Once the food and plates are set out, Wander takes fruit bowl and a few of the warmest cookies onto a plate with flowers painted on the rim and sets them out by the memorials. The former for Mulan, the latter for Sophie. He would have to make Karolina's dish later on, but he's too tired today to do some heavy cooking. And he'll have to come up with something for Anna. He sits facing the offerings to departed friends with his knees tucked under his chin, thinking.

Afterwards, Wander returns to the lounge with scissors and a stack of stationery from the study. He sets a book on the floor, folding strips of paper into stars and dropping them into an empty jam jar.]

[outsidethecircle]

[Anna is with her own stationary and notebook when she notices Wander.] What are you doing?

[Stars?]

[sixfingeredstan]

[Ford eventually finds himself watching Wander from across the room; it takes him a few minutes to figure out exactly what he's doing, but even a long stretch of observation doesn't bring answers, so eventually he moves a little nearer to where Wander is sitting.]

What are these for?

[chainbroke]

[ For the most part, Naminé sticks close to Lefou. But at some point during the gathering, she steals into the kitchen to prepare some tea for everyone. It's simple, very simple, and... well. It's the only thing she can really do. She wishes she could cook, but she's sure she'd make a mess out of anything she'd attempt anyway.

She flits in and out of the kitchen and lounge, fetching more hot water for tea when it runs low. There are as many tea bags as she can find, as well as enough cups for everyone. ]

[whistlenotchirp]

Don't suppose there's a smaller glass in those cabinets.

[He's gonna go ahead an not antognize people right now and especially not a young girl.]

Lounge

[arpeggiositar]

[And there's the other person Demyx was kinda wondering about. Hello, Naminé, you look like you're not having a good time at all!]

So, how's it going? You think you'll be okay?

[There was a real murder, that must have been quite a wake-up call for everyone, Demyx included. Demyx asks more out of curiosity than genuine concern, but he's here so...maybe that's good? Who knows]

Kitchen

[wannagetsmote]

[There was a part of Maui that wanted to ask what Namine was making. Instead, he kept his mouth shut and wordlessly helped pull down cups from the higher shelves. These were held out to her, while the demi-god attempted to meet her eyes, a silent check on his little friend.]

[thetimebomb]

[Oh she remembers her. Namine always looked so fragile in Sylvia's eyes and the fact that she's technically survived this long amazed her. Not that she expected her to die, but the fact she's still kicking... she can't say that it's encouraging for her but it's nice.]

You really don't have to bother making me tea.

[Is this modesty or is she just not sure she'll actually be able to drink it? She's not even sure herself.]

[defyingfrigidity]

[Probably surprisingly, Elsa shows up not long after Wander sends out his notes. She's not really in the mood to be around people for too long, but... with Sophie dead, there's nobody to add to the little memorial list she'd set up. And Elsa, she just... she just can't leave it like that. Maybe it's out of some need to keep Sophie's memory alive, or something else, but either way, she heads right to where the list is pinned up. It's hard to keep her hands steady, but she tries as she writes three new names.

Princess Anna
Sophie Hatter
Tadashi Hamada

She wants to leave it at that. She's so utterly drained that she really doesn't want to do anything else, or even stay here much longer. But... Sophie had liked it when she set up her ice memorials for Karolina and Mulan - sculptures that were still there, set out beneath the paper. So... so she can do this. She has to.

It takes her a while to summon the focus needed for such precise work, but eventually she finishes her offerings; a twisting, swirling blue pattern around the edges of the memorial, an elegant pointed snowflake made out of diamond patterns, and another star - this one so pale blue it's almost white, to match silver hair - for Sophie. A small lumpy-looking snowman with an oversized nose, a goofy-looking reindeer, and... a small sculpture of Anna and Elsa ice-skating together in extreme detail for Anna.

Despite everything, she also leaves a small cat sculpture for Tadashi.

There's no pride or self-admiration when Elsa sits back to examine her work. Just a look of utter blankness, enhanced by the ever-growing shadows under her eyes.]

[chainbroke]

[ In-between her coming and going from kitchen to lounge, Naminé encounters Elsa. She hesitates--she isn't the one Elsa needs now, but... maybe it's worth a try. Even if Elsa ends up pushing her away, she has to at least try.

So Naminé approaches her with a cup of tea in hand, and she quietly holds it out for the taller blonde. ]

If... if you need something warm, here.

[folkscallmewander]

[Wander arrives at the memorial with a plate of cookies on hand to find three new additions to the gifts. The cookies were for Sophie, but there's someone else who could need one.

He holds a plate towards Elsa.]

[whistlenotchirp]

[Jiminy actually hadn't seen how the sculptures were made and had kind of assumed ghosts. Seeing it in person is a lot to take in, but he's considerably impressed.]

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle. Not bad, not bad at all.

[toogoodforhim]

[Lefou actually knows that there's a party this time, thanks to Namine reading Wander's note for him. And for the most part he stays close to her. He's not hungry, but he's curious about the fruit salad and he picks at a little bit on a plate.

When he's not with Namine, he's sitting down, in one of the chairs that he brought in for the wake, looking very Tired.

He needs coffee. Or ale. Or wine. Or something.]

[folkscallmewander]

[As Wander takes a break from folding paper stars, he stands up and searches the room for anyone that seems in need of assistance. Food. A person to talk to. He has to do something with himself.

That's how Lefou finds the orange alien standing in front of him and patting his leg.] Need a blanket? Ready to sleep? Tea?

[thetimebomb]

[Since Sylvia has been sleeping in the same room as Wander the past week, she was the first person to hear about this party. So, well, it would have been rude to refuse the invitation.

She takes an apple and settles into a chair in the foyer and just... stares into space. It was so hard to keep up hope now that's it been confirmed that there are people who would kill on purpose. So, between spacing out and having a panic attack out of despair, spacing out was the better of the two options.

Try not to make her too jumpy though because she will punch you.]

[whistlenotchirp]

[Jiminy is actively trying not to be a shit right now. He's... not entirely sure how to be supportive, given that this is a lot more difficult than most moral problems he encounters, but. Trying is key.

He probably forgets how easy it is to miss him as he hops up near the dinohorse. She may be morally dubious, but she's a stable sort who was obliviously persuaded by his warnings of billiards tables. He can be more casual here.]

Geez. What a day.

[outsidethecircle]

[Anna had somehow managed to push down her disgust during Tadashi's execution long enough to keep herself from breaking down. The urge to cough and too familiar tightening in her chest was enough that she didn't linger with the others for long. Instead she quickly headed back to her room. Anna had almost slammed her door to keep away the sounds of her own sobs from the others. As she sank to her bed, the coughing soon began.

It would last a few minutes before she finally manages to calm herself down enough to go to the party after washing up in the bathroom. With her chest still aching, she went to the lounge with her drawing supplies. Though, she's not really drawing today much today and instead is just flipping through her various drawings she's made so far.

She does linger on the drawings of a girl that's not in the mansion, though.]

[terribibble]

[She draws? He's been talking to her for how long now and he had no idea. And while the logical reason for that is he's had a lot on his mind and has been keeping very odd hours, the fact remains that he feels kind of bad for not knowing. Isn't this exactly what he's been worried about since last week? If he missed something like that about her and she... well he'd feel awful, not being able to remember her properly. That's all.]

Hey, hon. Are you -- how are you holdin' up?

[terribibble]

A. [For Ford]

[Fiddleford is frankly proud of himself for how well he managed to hold himself together at the trial, especially considering with how little he's been eating and sleeping he was running mainly on pure stubborn willpower. The further he and Ford get from the room with the gravestones the less together he feels. What little energy he managed to scrape together is gone, leaving with him with just his fatigue and horror. His feet take him toward his own room automatically. Hopefully Ford won't mind, because by the time he gets to his door he just kind of leans against it as he opens it like he's unable to even support his full weight. He probably couldn't make it all the way to Ford's end of the hall right now.]

B. [OTA]

[Some time later, once he's got his feet back under him a little and splashed some cold water on his face, Fiddleford re-emerges and heads to the lounge. He doesn't particularly have much of an appetite, especially not when there was a wake in this room just a few days prior, but he takes a portion of fruit all the same. He may not want to eat but he probably should. He can be found picking at it with one hand and writing in his notebook with the other. Or, more accurately, tracing the same abstract doodle over and over in his notebook next to the picture of his son.]

[thetimebomb]

[Sylvia ends up finding herself in the lounge and stops when she sees Fiddleford. Their last encounter in an afterparty wasn't... the best, but looking at him made her pause. She gently walks up besides Fiddleford, pausing meaningfully as she sees the photo.]

Who is that?

[Her voice is almost shockingly gentle for her. She isn't sure who it is, but considering it's a kid who looks shockingly similar to Fiddleford, she can make a good guess.]

[kindaruledatit]

[For a while, Wendy mostly spends time in the lounge where she stays propped up against the wall while she nonchalantly nibbles on a cookie because y'know she's cool.

But later, Wendy's gone to the memorials. She spends a little time there, sitting in front of Sophie's memorial, where she places down a cookie, but later she's over by Tadashi's, just... sitting here, talking quietly to herself.]

...Wonder how my brothers are doing.

Memorials

[whistlenotchirp]

[Jiminy still thinks Wendy's... suspicious, what with the scandalous clothing, but now that they've got a mutual secret between them, he can't help but appreciate her trust on the matter. Plus, well, today was real bad. Everyone deserves a hand.]

Got a big family?

[amadeusrockette]

[Julia appears late into the party, taking a fruit cup and eating a few bites before wandering into the foyer and staring at the memorial.

She spends a while standing there, slowly eating her fruit cup, before pulling several sheets of balled paper from her pocket and throwing them at the wall. They're massively crumpled but still legible if smoothed out: a transcription of the song that plays when you press the button next to Tadashi's profile. After that display of anger, Julia kind of just. Sinks to the floor and stares at the wall.

She hates this, and she wants to go the fuck home.]

[kindaruledatit]

[Wendy's the kind of person that usually strives in parties, but even she needs some air every now and then, which is how she finds Julia as she's throwing balls of paper up against the wall.

She doesn't know what the matter is yet, she doesn't know Julia all that well aside from some of their run-ins with one another, but that doesn't change the fact that she's clearly in a rut from the looks of it.

Coming over slowly, Wendy crouched down beside Julia, knees to her chest, her tone quiet.]

Hey.

[pardonmylanguage]

[It takes a while for Tip to get to the lounge. She can be seen walking around the mansion for a while, calling out for Mochi while holding a slice of banana out. Eventually, she can be seen at the afterparty with the cat on her lap, purring and nibbling on a slice of apple while she strokes him.]

...I'm sorry, Mochi.

[amadeusrockette]

We all are. [Julia is holding one of the fruit cups, although she's not eating it currently, and she motions to the seat next to Tip.] May I?