Ian comes down the chair by degrees. That is: he takes the stairs one at a time, stopping on each step before taking on the next. It takes him a while to get down the staircase that way.

4 Redoubt Buccaneers, Luna, the Darkwater Assistant arrive, following Carita.

Since Porter didn't leave to carry off any crystal, he's spent the last little while chatting with Thea and Zoey down in the hall. He's acquired a glass of rum from Zoey during this time period, currently he's just, you know. Hanging around! He'll definitely say hello to people as they come in.

Nicola arrives, delivering a message to Ian before departing.

Zoey has joined the Cream colored leather couch set.

Esme sent word to warn of her arrival. So it's probably not surprising to at least one of the people here that Lady Esme Fidante saunters in. She tosses back her auburn hair as she studies the room. A huge, vibrant smile on her lips for any that would look her way. It's clear she's scanning for the man of the hour.

Zoey sits on the couch while things get going, smiling, chatting, and sipping vodka. She she spots Ian descending the stairs she waits from him to look up and check his surroundings to give her husband a warm smile.

Catalana has been busy preparing for the dinner all day. And by that, she's put away all the crystal and breakables. All the tables are covered with dark colored tablecloths. Navy and Reds, likely to hide the stains that may come from a party for Porter. The plainest of plates and cups line the tables, it's hard to believe it's a noble house, except for the food. Platters of seafood adorn the tables. Fish, squid, muscles, clams along with the obligatory fruits, breads, vegetables. The boring stuff. The real masterpiece is the table with all manner of booze. In the center of that table is an ice sculpture made of Porter. Well, you assume it's Porter. It's actually ice covered in glitter.

Catalana stands by the door, welcoming guests in, directing them to drinks and to other guests. The natural hostess of Kennex house.

Thea found the alcohol, so she's nursing a glass of whiskey, talking to Porter. As people start coming in, Thea bows her head with a slight smile on her lips.

There's a little bit of strain visible on Ian's face by the time he gets down the stairs, but it's nothing a drink or five won't fix. This is a party, right? He takes note of Porter, raising his voice as much as necessary to make sure his brother hears him. "Porter. Where's your hat?"

"Oh, shit," Porter says, reaching up and touching his head that currently has no hat on. "One second." Then he leaves his own party and goes flying up the stairs, past Ian. He takes the steps roughly ten or twenty (okay it's more like three or four) at a time and disappears upstairs completely. He's probably going to get the hat.

Denica arrives into the Kennex Kay, trying not to make much of a sound and blend in with the guests as she moves through the room, to find and join her Malvici friend. It doesn't help that she's nearby the man of the day, "Oh, Thea. I thought that I'd find you here." She says, shifting her gaze to the ice statue to admire the creativity it takes to sculpt something like that.

1 Saik Guard, Gunther, a Rottweiler, Micana, Golden, an Oakhaven bloodhound arrive, following Lucita.

Ian watches his brother go dashing up the stairs, and seems satisfied with this state of affairs. He moves over to wherever Zoey is, his steps a little slower than usual.

FOUND HIM! Esme watches as she enters and Porter runs for it. Her lips curve upwards to that and then she moves over where the others are sitting. "I promised that I bathed today." A happy smile towards all of the man's guests that she might not know. There is a larger smile for Catalana though. "Do you need help?"

Catalana murmurs to Ian as she grabs a well deserved drink, "If he returns pants-less, I am blaming you."

Esme mutters, "... does ... ... need pants ... ... ... a good ..."

Ian touches Zoey's waist and looks to Catalana. "Aethan gave him the admiral's hat," he reminds her. "He's not Prince Galen."

Lucita peeks in with a little smile. "Was that Lord Porter's backside I saw dashing up the stairs? Looks almost like when he was climbing out of the spa pool... only.. not as wet." She gives Zoey a little wink, a curtsy to Denica in passing and waves and smiles to others. She moves over toward Ian and Zoey, winding up near them.

Carita enters, wrapped in a wildly dyed dress of blues and greens, and slides in beside Catalana, leaning to speak with her quietly a moment, as she lifts a bottle of booze in the direction of the birthday boy. "Happy birthday, Lord Porter." She perks at Ian's words, "Is Prince Galen coming? I was hoping for some fire dancers tonight."

Thea watches Porter run up the stairs, actually waiting for him to fall down. And the floor to rumble. She looks amused for a moment before she hears Danica and turns,"Thank you again. That was perfect timing." Seeing Esme and Lucita, Thea gives them both a smile as well.

He's gone just long enough to toss his room (probably) and come flying back down several minutes later, he's a little breathless. He's also /definitely/ wearing pants, you're welcome Catalana. On his head is a gigantic admiral's hat, in a garish shade of purple. There's also ludricously large feather sticking out of it, the shame shade of purple. "IAN." Ian can see you, Porter. He's not blind. "I HAVE AETHAN'S HAT. Where is Aethan?" Probably doing something. Relax, buddy.

Zoey greets Ian with a peck on the cheek and offers her half-full glass of Vodka. "Lucita," she greets the Baroness warmly. "So glad you could make it!"

Something about what Lucita says about Porter's backside gets a flash of a grin from Ian for some reason, and he nods in greeting. He shakes his head in response to the question of Galen's coming. "You're kidding, right?" Ian says to Porter with amusement. "Where do you think? Go bang on his office door."

Denica returns Lucita's curtsy with one of her own and a smile, turning back to Thea and shrugging, "I might have forgotten some details from the original piece, but I think I kept the essence." She says, smirking, "And I've kept the sketch this time, in case he tries anything." Her eyes turn to watch Porter's magnificent hat, "Oh, I didn't paint /that/."

Catalana groans faintly at Ian, "I don't know. They would likely be on par for inappropriate nudity." Gladly spotting Carita, she smiles. "I am glad you made it. Come have a drink. I think I may still be hungover from last night. Ian brought something called Summer piss and it was bright yellow and I think one sip and I was down." She gives Lucita and Denica fond waves too and another to Esme with a shake of her head. "I'd rather not picture that. He is my cousin after all."

Esme smiles at Thea. "I feel like it's been years since I have gotten to bask in the radiance that is your light." She offers and then lowers towards others in the room. Her lips curve into a mirthful smile at Catalana's response. "I could paint you a few pictures if you would like." She's content to wait to talk to the man of the hour. Although, her smile grows even more at the hat. "Fitting." She moves over to find alcohol because one must drink at these things.

Lucita says, "Of course I made it. Miss Porter's birthday? What is he hoping for this time, a kiss or a song? I have the one Zoey heard at the concert and one that is a docks tavern song, only cleaned up substantially so fit for mixed company." This is said aside to Ian and Zoey before looking back toward the others. A mischievious grin is given the other Lycene women. "You all are doing alright? Have not heard from you the last week or so.""

Carita's brows lift, "Summer piss? You know there is actually piss in that, right?" There's amusement sparkling in her eyes as she asks, "I just brought some rum for your life." She shrugs lightly, "I admit, I generally save it for weddings but.." she splays her hands out helplessly, "For Lord Porter I make an acception."

Thea murmurs to Denica and sighs, looking at Porter's hat. But not because he's wearing it. Oh no! She lowers her voice to Denica,"I hadn't actually seen it. I'm sorry it wasnt sooner." Thea looks over to Esme and admits,"I've been a bit busy. I rarely seem to be home anymore."

Catalana checked composure + etiquette at difficulty 20, rolling 7 lower.

"Aethan was just kind enough to bestow it upon me in the last week. It's truly beautiful," Porter says to Denica, bowing and grabbing one corner of it so that he can tip forward. It looks ridiculous. "Thank you, thank you for coming." He menages to a few people coming in. He sighs at the idea of banging on his brother's door. "I'll do it later after I've had a few drinks and some food." Then he's moving along through the crowd, "Countess Darkwater, thank you for coming. Is there really piss in it? I'm going to kill you, Ian!" he calls out to him.

Ian shrugs to Carita. "I got it from Magpie Grayhope." The way he answers the question would indicate that he's not ruling out piss. Shameless.

Catalana's mouth opens. It opens wide in horror and shock. She stares at Carita and then at Ian. She may of been pissy at Porter before, but Ian gets the full blown glare. The simmering anger that is Catalana Kennex's icy glare. She forces her lips into a smile and an extremely hollow laugh is given "ha ha ha. Oh how funny. What a funny joke. " No. Not funny. Ian should sleep with an eye open.

"Oh, your song from the concert was lovely! By far my favorite of the whole thing," Zoey gushes to Lucita. At Porter's declaration Zoey calls back, "If you break him, you owe me a new one!"

Jayne, Burly Sailor arrives, following Wash.

Jayne, Burly Sailor have been dismissed.

"It's alright, I think I can use my imagination to paint him wearing only this hat." Denica says, grinning at her comment and nodding a couple of times to Porter, "Lord Aethan has good taste in clothing, it seems. I wonder what else he has in reserve." The Princess also catches, Catalana's wave, returning it a bit too eagerly as her restlessness gets the best of her.

Thea hears Carita then looks over to Ian. Gross! But instead of getting angry, she asks Ian,"Can I borrow that one night to offer Martino?" And there it is. Always plotting. Thea meanwhile looks to Carita,"It's been awhile. You've been well,"a grin there.

Wash bounds down the stairs three at a time, "I'm here! I'm here! Are we still drinking?!" He asks hurriedly.

"That's the price I'm willing to pay!" Porter calls back to Zoey, then he's got a bottle of rum in his hands. He digs into his pockets, where one keeps things to pull corks out with. If you're a person that habitually needs to deal with such things. He's staring Ian down from across the room as he works the cork out, "Thank you." Is there a glass somewhere, he needs a glass-- "WASH. Come here."

Esme hears the talk of actual piss drinks and pauses to study the one she just got and then look back towards the bottle. It's clear she's trying to determine if there is any in that. Her eyes take on a sorrowful look at Catalana's response. She saunters back over and then takes a drink of her hopefully not piss filled drink. She'll slide up near to, but not imposing upon, Catalana. Wash is given a smile.

Ian nods to Thea. "Just say when." He, too, is going for a drink, now.

Catalana looks over to Carita, the glare on Ian lessened. For now. She murmurs "This is why I needed you. Come. Lets drink. You still owe me that lesson." Looking at the Kennex boys, she looks up to the chandelier and makes sure it's bolted in hard.

Wash obediently crosses the hall to Porter and bows. "Reporting for duty Admiral!" He says, bowing and then snapping off a salute.

Carita's smile is hidden as she dips her head, to Catalana here's a smile, and to Ian there's a helpless shrug. "I rest my case then," comes as her response to where he got his piss booze from, with another amused clearing of her throat. "I personally brought my own, for Porter. No piss, I promise." She tilts her head as Catalana mentions a lesson, head tilting before she nods. "Of course."

Lucita says, "I know you liked it, Lady Zoey, but what would Lord Porter like best?" She asks of Ian and Zoey both, mischief still in her glance. "A drink would be good if a non-yellow one is available. That is a admirable admiral's hat.""

At the drinks cabinet, Ian seems to have found himself pouring drinks. There was the one for himself (he drank that), and then another one for himself, and after that he's handing them out as people go by. And maybe one for himself in there somewhere. It's all the same thing. Rum. Hopefully everyone likes rum.

"Oh, he'd probably prefer the other one," Zoey tells Lucita. "That's more his style."

Turning to Wash, Porter laughs when he bows and snaps off a salute. He reaches over and grabs the other man around the shoulders giving him a shake before he sweeps a glass off of the table and fills it with some rum. Then it's handed off to Wash, "We're still drinking!" Another glass is picked up for Carita and then himself, pouring out more glasses.

It's only when Ian starts distributing drinks that Denica notices him, nevertheless, the Princess opens up in a bright smile, "Lord Ian! I'm so happy to see you're better now!" She says, grabbing a round of rum for herself, "I hear we'll be racing against each other in a few months time."

Esme has two hands and two people pouring out drinks. So Esme will move to take one from the ones that Porter is filling and one from Ian as well. Hers was probably downed and put down somewhere. She lets her eyes study the various interactions with a smile. Her eyes slide over each person for a moment and then track back towards Thea. "I do like your dress."

Catalana murmurs aloud to Carita, curiosity dripping from each word, "Have you ever drunk with the Kennex brothers? It always ends in sheningans, broken housewares and time in a cell. And not always in that order." She leaves Carita's side for a moment to grace Wash with her presence. She plucks his rum from his hand as she offers a distracting kiss to his cheek. She clinks her ill-gotten drink to Carita's. Spotting Thea, she lifts her voice slightly, "Lady Thea. Didn't you say you had a gift for Lord Porter earlier?"

Carita's smile remains on Catalana as the pair talk quietly, or rather, at a normal level that's lost in the din of the room. She calls to Porter, "Are we having a drinking contest then? What are the stakes?"

Wash has to try twice to get the rum as he is shaken by Porter, but once claimed he quaffs half at a go before Catalana absconds with it, or perhaps because he saw her coming. "Happy Birthday! My first drink with the new Admiral." He waves excitedly to the other partygoers as he claims another drink from Porter, explaining: "I only had half. I didn't lose it, it was stolen. Not the same thing."

"I'm glad to be better," Ian says to Denica as he hands her a glass. "Do you know anyone who can fix holes torn in steelsilk?"

Lucita says, "What tore a hole in seasilk? You've been off getting into dangerous trouble without me along?" She teases Ian and Zoey with her comment. "Harump. Of course I can't say much, I got puled away into things going on also.""

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Lucita before departing.

Thea responds to Esme, as she answers with an unusual sincerity,"Thank you. Rare you find me outside my leathers." Catalana's voice though grabs her attention and Thea smiles,"Oh. Yes I do actually. It was delivered today. Perfect timing really,"her gold-flecked green eyes looking impish as they glance at Porter .

"It's okay, I understand," Porter says to Wash with an over-exaggerated nod of his head and a playful smile flashed in Catalana's direction. He pours the man another drink and then finally at some point (because he's like Ian, also handing out glasses) figures out how to pour one for himself. It gets knocked back as quickly as possible, because it might get stolen. "We should have a drinking contest! I'm definitely going to lose but yes." As a glass is passed to Esme, he smiles broadly. "Lady Esme and..." he narrow eyes at mention of a present from Thea, that look sent in her direction.

Denica shakes her head negatively, "No." She admits to Ian, "But I'm sure Victus might at least have a hunch..." She offers just another smile to the man, "I'll talk with him later this week, so I'll make sure to ask him about it." The talk about a gift has her smirking, but she tries her best to conceal it.

Zoey leans toward Lucita and whispers something to her, grinning.

Esme's green eyes sweep the face of the women and the concealed smirks with a tip of her head. It's a clear 'out of place/missing something' look. However, she looks to see what the gift is as she steps out of the way.

Wash covers the top of his glass with his free hand now that he has a second. "I will place bets on Countess Darkwater. Wait. No. Esme has also drunk me under the table. Mmm. I might just be bad at drinking." He consumes some of his free drink before clutching it in both hands again protectively.

"You were there," Ian reminds Lucita. "It's only been the one time, thankfully." He takes a drink of his... which rum is it now? He's poured so many, it's hard to be sure how many of them he's drunk and how many he's given away. "You're bad at drinking," he confirms to Wash.

Catalana finishes the rum, since it was really only a drop. She saunters. Oh yes. Saunters! In front of Wash and bets on herself. "I bet I can drink Wash and Porter under the table." A look to Carita and an idea flashes across her eyes. "Perhaps we should work in teams. The ladies against the men?" However her attention is captured by Thea. "Can we see it? Is it appropriate for a party?"

Thea looks over to Wash and tells him with amusement,"I beat all of you last time..."before her eyes challenge Porter. What are you going to do? With that, she slowly shifts a large painting,"I think so.."

Zoey looks toward Catalana. "I don't have the tolerance for a drinking contest! Do you remember Martino's tasting? I was tipsy after my second glass," she points out with a laugh.

Lucita says, "That time. Oh. Well, er.. alright then. I've been helping get rid of some small lingering things around Southport, pesky things, but not like that time by far." Change of topic time. She glances toward Catalana. "I think you, can, too, Lady Catlana. Though what stakes would you ask of them if you ...er... when you win?""

Porter lifts the glass of rum to his mouth and stares across the room at Thea, when she starts to produce a //large painting//, he groans. "NO." There's nothing he can actually do, honestly. "I threw that last one over the ship!" And apparently now there's a second one. He tosses back the rest of his drink and starts to pour another one.

"Wash, it was not you. I am just exceptionally good at drinking." Esme offers. Her eyes, to those that might notice say this is a lie. She is not good at drinking. Her lips curve towards Zoey, "But you are exceptional in every other way." Esme watches between Porter and Thea as the gifts are given.

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Lucita before departing.

"I can only imagine what would be able to tear through steelsilk, though..." Denica eyes shift from Lucita and Ian as Thea begins revealing the painting, "Perhaps I can listen the story at another time." She says, clapping excitedly to Porter's reaction.

Catalana is now worried. "His glitterbeard?" Clearly she does not think this is his actual beard. She turns her gaze into Wash's chest. She does not need to see her cousin's bare butt on canvas.

Zoey lifts her glass toward Esme, "My Lady, you are too kind!"

Ian moves out of the way of the approaching painting, taking his drink with him. You're on your own, Porter. "If that's what I think it is, we're hanging it in the main hall until Aethan makes us take it down."

Lucita mutters under her breath as yet another messenger tracks her down. She moves to the side along with Ian and Zoey as some kind of painting is making its way into the area. "You will be getting an influx of visitors to view it I expect."

"Okay. Okay." Wash says. "I'm bad at drinking. You're very gracious Lady Esme, but Ian's probably right. He doesn't drink anything less flammable than whiskey. And Thea. It might have been you, I honestly don't remember. I was drunk at the time." He laughs at Porter's pained groan. "Is it something we can mount on the wall at the Ebb and Flow?"

Thea smiles at Porter and shrugs, turning the painting around,"I had one commissioned and hung at the Ebb and flow(Yep. She owned that one). But it came up missing.(He killed it). So I felt so bad, I had a larger one commissioned for him.(Asshole)."

Thea drops Captain Glitter.

"Aethan is going to agree that it needs to be taken down instantly!" That might not actually be true, Porter doesn't speak for Aethan. But he can //pray//. When she turns the painting around he starts drink from the refill rather quickly. He doesn't need to be a part of any contest, he's competing against his own body right now. Where Porter will be both be winner and loser.

Ian quirks an eyebrow at Porter. "That depends on whether he's still mad about the glitter," he opines with a flash of mischief in his electric blue eyes.

"By the Gods, Lady Thea, how did you do that without getting glitter all over yourself?" Carita watches the revealing with a mixture of admiration and horror, taking a step back.

Zoey looks the painting up and down for a moment, then discreetly downs the rest of her drink.

Esme stares at the painting for a few moments. Then her eyes move towards Porter. Then back to the painting. "I think we should commission one just like this for the Palace. I'm sure the King would love this." Her eyes move towards Thea. "Do you think you could get them for all the taverns? I would be delighted to help you hang them. Or would you rather it just be a personal gift between the two of you?" She studies the shiny textures and then Porter's beard. She drinks the first glass down and then moves to the second.

Wash sidles away from Catalana if she is emptyhanded. He's already lost one drink. "So... my first sailing trip with Porter, I was the bottom midshipman on Aethan's ship. All the midshipmen bunked in the same six hammocks, and just switched off depending on what shift they were assigned. Porter, being the senior midshipman, got top bunk. I... being new to this, diced another midshipman for middle bunk. I am pretty sure he lost on purpose though. So I spend my first cruise as command officer sleeping directly beneath Porter's bunk. We say bunk, but really, they are more like hammocks."

Catalana meeps and laughs in relieved surprise when it's A) not Porter naked and B) still not Porter naked. She clears her throat and raises her hands in the most diplomatic fashion the quite tipsy lady can manage. "Ahem. As voice of House Kennex. A /warden/ of Stormward. A pillllllllar of our community. That painting should most certainly be displayed. Here. So all can recognize our new admiral." She grins at Wash. "Can you put it up on the wall for me, my loved?"

Ian looks the painting up and down. "That's... definitely a painting." His Captain Obvious badge flashes in the light as he takes a drink.

"Princess Denica and I put our heads together. She just painted it,"Thea explains. She looks to Porter and grins,Happy Birthday." Paybacks will be a bitch. She looks to Ian and agrees,"It is, yes. Would you say more are needed?" pleased it's so well received.

Esme is overheard praising Thea.

Esme is overheard praising Denica.

"I need parchment!" Porter hollers between drinks and wanders through the crowd until he can convince some befuddled servant to hand him something to write with. He leans it against the wall and starts scrawling something out in gigantic, dumb, tipsy handwriting. Then he hands it off to the poor man who goes scurrying up the stares. "Yes, thanks. It's a great present!" he calls back over to Thea. He's going to burn it. Just watch. Then smiles at someone passing by.

Porter is overheard praising Thea: There will be retribution.

Porter is overheard praising Denica: It's a really nice painting though.

Lucita says, "A toast to the memorial Admiral Porter, with his glittering personality and colorful ways." And Lucita raises her glass, then sips from it."

Ian shakes his head at Thea's question. "I think it makes the point pretty well." A pause. "I want to see what Aethan does when he sees it."

Denica bows down politely, still grinning from ear to ear. "I think that means we're reaching another chapter in this glitter war." She comments, holding her hands together nearby the chest, "And I'm happy to have painted one of its most flashy battles."

Esme raises her glass to the toast from Lucita and then moves her glass closer to Porter's bottle for a refill if he has any left.

Esme is overheard praising Porter: To the most shiny Admiral with the best collection of art.

"Does that mean we're getting *more* glitter paintings?" Zoey asks before refilling her vodka.

Ian gets Filopi Black - Kennex Brand Black Pepper Vodka from Oiled leather bag.

Ian drops Filopi Black - Kennex Brand Black Pepper Vodka.

Thea pours herself another glass of whiskey, a grin on her face for once,"I'm sure I will be paid back." Maybe.

Wash eyes Catalana and asks suspiciously. "Is this a ploy to get my drink?" He doesn't finish it, but he does take another swig before handing the cup over to his wife and heading over to the painting. "On this wall?" He asks.

"Speaking of pay backs, why don't we start the drinking contest?" Carita's smile curls as she refills her own glass.

Catalana finishes off Wash's drink and refills it for herself. "Oh yes." A vague wave to Wash too. It may of been a ploy to get his drink.

As it looks like the painting will be hung up mid-party, Porter sighs and find something else to drink along the table of drinks. He's steadily working on being drunk, but on this great party destination, he finds himself by Lucita. "Baroness Saik! Did I hear you talking about singing before? I'm sorry, I was mildly distracted." Porter is always distracted.

"If it's up to me, Lady Zoey, all galleries will have glitter paintings." Denica says, keeping the smile on her face and lifting her glass at the announcement of a drinking contest, "Oh, I want that!"

"I think the drinking contest has already started," Ian says to Carita, taking a sip of his drink.

Lucita tucks her arm in Porter's as the drinking contest begins and nods to him. She lowers her voice and murmurs to him in a low tone so not to interrupt the rules of the drinking and flow of the party.

"The winner sends something to the losers, like a favor they have to wear for a week. Maybe in honor of Lord Porter's birthday we can send hats?" Carita tilts her head, grinning as she glances between those interested. For Ian, she lifts her glass in his direction.

Catalana pours out a round of drinks, ready for those who want to participate. "Hats or something sparkly."

Esme had her drink refilled out of Porter's bottle. Really. It happened. She studies his hat for a moment as if trying to figure out what she would craft like it or near to like it. She holds up her full drink to show she has her round on this one.

"I'll play!" Porter calls out as the rules of the drinking game is being announces. Then Lucita's arm is tucked around his and he bends over just enough so that he can hear her speaking quietly into his ear. Something she says makes him laugh and run a hand over his face, then glance down again and there's a tight-lipped smile, nod of understanding and finally, him speaking quietly in return. When he's done, he straightens up and grabs a bottle from the table, "I'm so sorry, Lady Esme." And then he does that thing she poses one second ago. Tada!

"Ill play,"Thea announces as she steps over to the table, finishing the drink in her hand.

Elizabetta, a disapproving lady-in-waiting, Lily, an aloof lady-in-waiting, 2 Grayson House Guards, Clark, an exasperated guard arrive, following Sabella.

Zoey sighs. "I'm not overly fond of glitter, put I'll play for Porter's birthday." She smiles at him.

Lucita laughs and instead of joining the contest, after a nod to Porter. "Since a drinking contest is going on, I'll just sing the tavern song Lord Porter picked out to go with it." And she begins to play and sing, spacing the verses out.

Carita checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 30, rolling 28 higher.

Zoey checked composure + performance at difficulty 30, rolling 24 higher.

"This sounds like a great way to get glitter everywhere," Ian opines, before finishing his drink. "Again."

Ian checked stamina + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 12 higher.

Wash staggers toward a wall with an oversized painting of Glitterbeard the Not Pirate. "Is this good?" He calls back over his shoulder.

Porter checked stamina + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 7 lower.

Sabella sweeps into the party with her usual flair, but this time she's bright eyed and panting, "Aha! I knew I'd beat him! He said he knew the way in his sleep, but when he lived here he was often drunk and I think that probably addled his sense of dir--oh! Are we drinking?" She beams and picks up whatever's closest and downs it, "Happy Birthday, Porter!"

Esme checked stamina + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 19 higher.

Sabella checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 30, rolling 49 higher.

Thea checked stamina + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 25 higher.


Darling Dilly was delightful
A robust Tavern maid
But her scowls were frightful
When her tips were underpaid

Oh, Dilly, me Darling Dilly
Won't you come smile for me
Oh, Dilly, me Darling Dilly
Come and sit upon my knee


Catalana checked composure + etiquette at difficulty 30, rolling 6 higher.

Roland, the worst bard in Arvum, Isabelle, who isn't sure where she even is right now, Sam, who is a boy and definitely not a princess in disguise arrive, following Niklas.

Roland, the worst bard in Arvum have been dismissed.

Sam, who is a boy and definitely not a princess in disguise have been dismissed.

"Sabella!" Zoey downs her second drink and goes to meet the Princess, all fluttering lavender with stray glitter clinging to her hair again somehow.

Denica checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 30, rolling 28 higher.

Catalana takes her drink and nods while swallowing. "Perfect Wash, my love." She squints and slowly leans her head over. "Maybe a little to the left." Maybe because she's a little to the left.

It's unclear but Porter has been posed drinking anywhere between one and seven tall glasses of rum and possibly straight vodka this entire time, so instantly losing is not altogether surprising. Or maybe it is! Who knows, life is a mystery. He unlinks himself from Lucita and chugs back the rest of his mostly full drink. "IT LOOKS AMAZING," he shouts to Wash about the Glitterbeard painting. "AWESOME." As Sabella and Niklas sweep their way in, he beams at them. "Cousins!"

Wash scooches sideways and hefts his grip on the painting again. "Here?" He asks with a grunt. Why is this painting so heavy?

Carita downs her drink, eyes widening as she sets it on the table to be refilled, a shiver running through her. Rising she curtsies to Sabella and Niklas. "You're in time to beat the pants off everyone. The winner gets to send hats to the losers to wear for a week, in honor of Lord Porter's birthday. Possibly sparkly ones."

Esme downs her drink like a BOSS. She does utter a soft comment towards Porter when his arm is grabbed but he manages to refill her drink. All things are good. She doesn't seem to be swaying yet. Yet. Then she sees Sabella offers, "Princess.." She doesn't swarm her or anything though. When the song starts, she stops to listen to it.

Porter is overheard praising Catalana: For being a great cousin and hosting impromptu birthday parties and hiding all the breakable crystal.

Niklas comes running into the hall wearing his swim trunks, a towel wrapped around his shoulders and a frosty beverage in hand. "Woo! Pool pa-" He stops short when he sees people fully dressed getting ready for a nice dinner while engaging in a drinking contest. "Wait." Then, "What?" And finally, "So this isn't a pool party?" He looks so dismayed!

Lucita continues to play the mandolin and sing the song Porter requested, cleaned up in deference to the mixed company present.

Rogueish glances cast her way
Winks and whistles she'd ignore
As Dilly would wind her way
Cross the crowded Tavern floor


"You're a few days early for the pool party," Zoey informs Niklas.

Sabella beams at Zoey and puts her empty cup down, looking as if it might have just contained water, "How are the little ones doing, Zoey? And what even is that a painting of?" she looks around the room, giving bright smiles to everyone she knows--which is everyone! It fades a bit when Niklas comes in, "Well. That would explain why you're so late. I swear he wasn't wearing that when we left the house," she gestures to Niklas as she looks to the rest of the room. Then she heads over to Porter to give him a kiss on the cheek and hand him his gift, "Happy Birthday."

Finishing drink number--Thea's lost count, but guess what? She's still standing. Turning to Sabella and Niklas, she bows her head and smiles,"Good evening." Yes. The youngest Malvici is the one that does smile. On occassion.


No pinches and rovin' hands
If you value fingers unbroke
Dilly's stern warning stands
Truer words were never spoke.


Catalana sniggers at Niklas. Snigger snigger snigger. Cat is getting progressively drunk. Like more drunk than she has in a long long time. "Nikky! No. Next week." She then too saunters over to her other cousin. Her favorite since she never has to worry about seeing his glitter beard. "Next week, my dearest. But look. There's fish. And trifle." Because those things certainly go together. To Wash, she demands. "A little higher. Just a scooch!"

Denica downs one glass of rum like it was nothing, seeking Ian for a refill and nodding in agreement to Cartia, "We need more sparkly feasts, like this one!" The Thraxian Princess turns to greet both Niklas and Sabella as they come with a brief cursty, "Remind me to bring my sketchbook to the pool party."

Catalana checked composure + etiquette at difficulty 40, rolling 17 higher.

Ian checked stamina + survival at difficulty 40, rolling 6 higher.

Carita checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 40, rolling 11 higher.

Wash shifts his grip again and hefts the painting up against the wall. "Jayne? Jayne!" He shouts for he valet whom he dismissed when the party started. "I should step back and look at this."

Lucita winks in Porter's direction as she finishes up the last verse. r
Darling Dilly had long black hair
And brown eyes with a saucy glint
But good tips were seldom there
Cause most men had a finger splint.


Thea checked stamina + survival at difficulty 40, rolling 8 higher.

Denica checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 40, rolling 104 higher. Denica rolled a critical!

Sabella checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 40, rolling 27 higher.

Zoey checked composure + performance at difficulty 40, rolling 2 higher.

Porter checked stamina + survival at difficulty 40, rolling 18 lower.

Esme checked stamina + survival at difficulty 40, rolling 5 higher.

Ian fills his glass one last time, and makes his way to the couch. "Probably time for me to sit down," he decides. With his drink, of course.

Zoey whispers something in Sabella's ear, then stands back at arm's length to await her answer

In one hand, Porter has an empty glass and in his other, he has an empty wine flask. He looks down at the new item he's holding and then over and down to Sabella before beaming and booming out, "Thank you! I'm going to refill both of these." He turns his attention to Niklas and his outfit, "Aw, fuck. Look at him. You can still go swimming, buddy!" He heads back to the table and refills both of them, downing one for this next round of the drinking contest. He's gone, guys. He's going to be asleep under the table before this night is over. He's with it just enough to catch Lucita's wink at the end of that verse.

Esme is barely keeping that one going. Her eyes glaze a bit, but she's upright. She is not under a table. She is not drinking in a box with a fox. She does go for another refill though. Then she forgets and claps for Lucita's singing of the song. THEN she gets a drink. There may be extra sway to her saunter.

Esme is overheard praising Lucita: For singing songs that were meant to be sung and appreciated.

Zoey is overheard praising Lucita.

"Absolutely!" Sabella replies to Zoey as she takes the new drink in two big gulps this time, "What this drinking party needs is adorable children to witness it! And I haven't held a baby in so long! It's been--how old are the twins now? Anyway, the nannies always hold them and holding other people's children is always so much better! They're always so sweet and then you can hand them back and have perfect memories of them. Oh, Nik! Did you see your protege is here? Did you know she's volunteered to lead A Taste of Arx for Thrax again? Countess," she gives a very flowery curtsey to Carita, then applauds for Lucita, "As beautiful as a songbird, Baroness, as always!"

Esme is overheard praising Catalana: For throwing an awesome party.

Whether Catalana has spent a lifetime on the fringes of the Kennex brothers or wearing the mask of the proper Kennex lady, she keeps drinking. She looks too the painting and beams at Wash. "It's perfect." She pecks his cheek loudly, clearly a sign of intoxication, before moving back into the throng of people. It's even possible she's dancing while she walks.

Niklas snaps up a drink and gulps it down. To his wife he says, "I told you I was going to get properly dressed!" Then gives a huffy little hmph and says, "Well, I /do/ know where the pool is. It's not as if it's full of eels when not in use!" He gives Porter a stiff nod when his cousin agrees. Then he stalks off. Down the hall there is a splash and a distant Niklas calls out, "Fuck! Cold!" When he returns he's dripping, but looks pleased to have gotten his way, even if in the dumbest way. He dries his hair and nods to Sabella. "I see!" To Carita he says, "Glad to have you on board. Again! You made the Islands the hit of the event last year, so here's hoping you can get the entire Compact drunk again!"

Porter is overheard praising Wash: For hanging that painting. A true hero.

Zoey giggles. "Okay, I'll be right back!" Zoey makes her way toward the stairs that lead to the nursery.

Niklas checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 15, rolling 23 higher.

Niklas checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 40, rolling 5 lower.

Carita watches the drink contestants on the brink of laughter, rising to curtsy for Sabella and Niklas, the latter given a little finger wiggling wave before she settles again and refills her glass to drink from again. "The trick is not to vomit, but if you do save it for Lady Catalana to use in her next wine collection called, simply, Vom without any explanation." She might be drunk, and as Sabella calls her out and announces her volunteering she laughs, "I think it was you both that made my event worth any anything. That was a drinking contest too, wasn't it?" She lifts her glass to the pair, but it's empty, so she refills it.

Zoey has left the Cream colored leather couch set.

Seeing everyone drinking rum, Thea decides that's a great idea. Pouring some in a glass, she sits on the couch for this one. Looking at the painting of Porter, she grins,"I should get one of my brothers for Malvici." So many plans as she swallows the rum in the glass.

Octavian, a silken spaniel, an aid in Kennex livery, 2 Kennex corsairs arrive, following Zoey.

Thea has joined the Cream colored leather couch set.

Damien Pierce - A Charming Assistant, 1 Redreef Warden, Vagari The Cinder Cat, 1 Order of the Firebird, 2 House Crovane Guards, Biorna - The Protective Mastiff arrive, following Mikani.

Denica takes a glass from a servant, then another one from the cabinet, mixing them both against the light of a candle and downing both glasses all at once. "Have some drink to warm you up, Your Highness." She tells Niklas, turning back to Thea, "Lord Domonico or Martino?"

Catalana checked composure + etiquette at difficulty 45, rolling 17 higher.

Denica checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 45, rolling 11 higher.

Sabella checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 45, rolling 13 higher.

Carita checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 45, rolling 24 higher.

Thea checked stamina + survival at difficulty 45, rolling 16 lower.

Porter checked stamina + survival at difficulty 45, rolling 22 lower.

Esme checked stamina + survival at difficulty 45, rolling 12 lower.

Ian checked stamina + survival at difficulty 45, rolling 7 higher.

Zoey returns a few minutes later with a bundle in her arms and a broad smile on her face. She makes a bee-line to Sabella saying, "Look who's awake!"

Ian has taken a seat on the couch, and seems content to watch the party, for the most part. At least right now.

Porter starts clapping when he hears the sound of Niklas diving into the pool, he thinks it's a great idea anyway. He's also completely out of his mind from all of the drinking, so really, a great many things are going to seem like good ideas now. He wanders the tables, waiting for the next call for drinks, having managed to get his refilled again. He drops down heavily onto the couch that Thea is sitting on, "Well, fuck. This room-- this spinning option that they built into the room? Amazing. I mean. Who knew? I didn't know that it could spin," he tells the Malvici. It can't spin, Porter. You're drunk.

Porter has joined the Cream colored leather couch set.

"Honestly, I don't remember most of that night so I just know it was an amazing time," Sabella replies to Carita with a grin, raising her next glass high and leaning over to plant a big kiss on Niklas before downing it. Then there's Zoey and she hastily sets the glass down, putting out her hands and making grabby fingers, "Oh, come here you little darling and let Auntie Sabella adore you!"

Mikani enters, she knows she's late though well she had research to be done. "Looks like I haven't missed too much." She says as the comments of room spinning are made. "Happy belated birthday. And here is for the birthday boy." Mika says warmly before putting another bottle down before Porter and finding an empty seat.

Zoey kisses Naamah on one of her chubby little cheeks before handing the baby off to Sabella

Catalana is still standing! What? How? "Oh. The taste of Thrax. Would you like help Carita?" she pauses. Backs up. "Countess Carita. We're not family yet." Her drink finished and back to the table she goes and gives the most serious of side eyes to the other contestants. There's been a lot of rum tonight.

Esme is proud of her drinking ability. She's super proud of the fact that she's not winning at all. Her long lashes lower for a moment and then she nods to find a corner of the couch. "Hey Porter.." Then she shakes her head a moment and smiles at Thea. "Really, your dress is amazing, have I said that tonight yet? I know that I meant to." She looks up and studies the others. "And Lucita sang so beautifully. I'm sure that Jayus would weep. Do you think Jayus does weep?" Her head tips to consider this and she reaches for her glass and misses it. Luckily, she didn't break it. Yet.

Esme has joined the Cream colored leather couch set.

"Arx. Arx," Sabella corrects Catalana quickly, even as she smiles and rocks the little baby in her arms in a way that ought to make Niklas very nervous, "I don't know that anyone but Islanders would show up to A Taste of Thrax. Too much fish."

Sabella checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 50, rolling 5 lower.

Carita checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 50, rolling 19 higher.

Catalana checked composure + etiquette at difficulty 50, rolling 22 higher.

Thea checked stamina + survival at difficulty 50, rolling 4 lower.

Porter checked stamina + survival at difficulty 50, rolling 31 lower.

Esme checked stamina + survival at difficulty 50, rolling 7 lower.

Denica checked composure + manipulation at difficulty 50, rolling 8 lower.

Thea blinks as Porter heavily plops on the couch,"What now?"her words a little slurred. Mixing rum and whiskey is obviously not a great plan. But hey--rrisky. She drinks another glass and things blur but nods to Esne,"I think so,"Yes." What was that about spinning?

Ian checked stamina + survival at difficulty 50, rolling 2 lower.

"Oh, wow. Thank you Lady Mikani!" Porter says as he ends up with another bottle of something in his hands. He squints at the label, evidently at the point in his night where reading comprehension is going to start eluding him entirely. He can't make out what it says at all, honestly. Which doesn't stop him from breaking the seal on it and drinking straight from the bottle. Just in time to hear Esme say something to him, his eyes widen and he's quiet in the way that the very drunk need to be in order to process things. In the end, he nods very solemnly. "Good idea."

With a baby in one hand and a glass of something in the other, Sabella's gentle swaying starts causing her to take a step this way and then that, humming a little tune to the newest Kennex and otherwise looking like she's on the deck of a ship in rough seas, "You are so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, sho, sho, sho, sho, sho, sho, sho, sho, sho, sho, show, show, sholkhw cwuuuuuuute!" she tells the baby in a voice that all of a sudden doesn't sound so put together. "Look at you! Yous got the eyes of two of them. Yes. Yes you do!"

Niklas watches Sabella with the baby, eyes narrowed warily. "Taste of Thrax would be no good. Have you seen how sweaty Prince Victus is? No thank you."

"You should move," Ian says to Thea. His face is flushed, and his speech is a little slower than normal, his accent somehow thicker. But his focus hasn't faded. "He's going to pass out soon and I don't think anyone here can move him."

Catalana watches Sabella. Sees Nik's eyes narrow and so she announces/shouts "Sab! You should have another. Five is easier than four I hear."

Zoey despite handing Naamah off to Auntie Sabella, Zoey elects not to drink anymore. She's two drinks behind now, but in these shoes she isn't willing to risk it.

"I can be moved," Porter shoots back to Ian. "Just get Niklas and the second Niklas push me off the couch." There's a flaw in that plan. Maybe more than one flaw. Someone will probably notice it. At some point, if they're not also very drunk.

"Five is way better than four!" Sabella immediately agrees, bright eyes finding Catalana, who she clearly thinks is the best supporter of her LIFE in the WORLD, "It's a bigger number! And everyone knows that more is bigger than not more. Which is more. The bigger more not the is more. More. More." She pauses, repeating that word a few times like she's forgotten it's meaning.

Thea wisely agrees with Ian,"Good idea. I need to head home anyway." Damn. Drat. "I promised Kaia something that I'm sure I'll remember later." Kaia will definitely remember. She slides to her feet, a smile at Mikani,"Hello Lady Mikani."

"Cat, if you continue down this road I will immortalize you in song and it will not be complimentary. Perhaps the whale Prince Tyrval married was a certain Kennex lady?" Niklas eyes Sabella. "Stop listening to bad influences."

"You wouldn't say that if you'd ever seen Niklas try to pick up anything heavy," Ian retorts to Porter. There are TWO flaws in his plan. Just like there are two Niklases. "Look at his arms." Which, conveniently, Porter can do right now. Sorta.

Mikani was going to slip out until her name was called. "Lady Thea." She grins at the woman. Mikani declines a drink but she does bow her head at the woman. "Good to see you."

"I listen to you all the time!" Sabella tells Niklas cheerfully, but then dutifully hands Naamah back to Zoey, "I love her to pieces and then some, Zoey! She's just too perfect. Like a cat! That's a baby! A baby Kannex. Katnex. Ugh, I think I grew up with someone named Katnex."

Esme brightens to that. "Two Niklas's.. Niklis? Niklies?" There is a wrinkle up of her nose for that one as she moves for another drink and sighs as she misses it again and tries with BOTH hands. "Sabella is lucky to have two Nik-i-somethings. I mean, she's probalby want two, right?" She looks towards Niklas. "He wrote me. Once. Twice. I don't remember, Price Tyrval. He said something something mortal lives short.. something." She shrugs. "He married a whale? Why?"

Denica lifts a half empty glass, struggling to keep her balance as she wobbles, "There are many tastes of Thrax, take me as an example." She comments, gesturing to Porter, "Okay, that might work. But what about the second Porter?" The Princess asks, massaging her head, "I should go home, I feel my head aching already."

Catalana giggles along with Sabella as she comes to coo over Naamah."Five is certainly better than four. Porter tried to tell everyone I was having a fourth. Though, Grayson is only a little older." She looks smug for a second. "I told him I'd name it after him. Stupid. Or ugly. I haven't decided." She giggles some more at Niklas. "Why stop at five when you could have seven?"

"You're right, brother. All seven of them are not--" Denica is asking the real questions here. What about the SECOND Porter. He blinks a couple of times and grimaces. "My gods, your highness. The second Porter doesn't have his own glitter painting. The world is OUT OF BALANCE." It's not really. Thea is leaving and he looks after her, eyebrows raised briefly before he manages a wave.

Carita drinks what's in her glass, setting it aside as she watches those in the room and visibly swallows. For Catalana she nods, "Any help will be appreciated, once I figure out what the fu---udge I'm going to do." She tilts her head at Porter as she listens, then at Catalana, "You're naming one of your children stupid or ugly?" She looks utterly horrified.

Lucita backs away from some of those most heavily affected by the drinking, stowing her mandolin away and watching with an amused grin. She stays silent to listen to all the unguarded comments after the alcohol starts to have its effect on others.

Catalana is overheard praising Carita: A lady with a sailor's mouth. Just like my own sister.

"Five is pushing it," Zoey cuts in. "I'm stopping at four, if I get that far."

Niklas glares at everyone. "First of all, Niklii. Second of all, I can pick up heavy things! I just can't do it for very long. But let's be clear here, who the fuck would want to? Uh. I have people I pay for that? Look at this outfit. Umbra doesn't stain, but if you get dust on it it shows up like a starts in the night's sky." Esme just gets a nod. "Tyrval's very impressed with himself, as if there's anything about his immortality and long life that can't be said about every other elf. Honestly, since elves are all about dying and coming back, it seems to me that in their terms his living so long is kind of a character flaw. Which is fine, because when it comes to Tyrval, it's mostly character flaws." Then, "He was trapped in Eurus and the whale offered to bring him back to Arvum and then they fell in love and got married, but by the time he was back in the Compact they got divorced over political differences."

Ian has stopped drinking at this point, and is settled in at the couch, content to watch the party. At some point his gaze slides over to Porter, and he says something loud enough to carry to him, but not to the rest of the room.

Mikani nods and slips out.

Damien Pierce - A Charming Assistant, 1 Redreef Warden, Vagari The Cinder Cat, 1 Order of the Firebird, 2 House Crovane Guards, Biorna - The Protective Mastiff leave, following Mikani.

Thea steps out, making sure Finn is with her. Quietly. Really really quiet.

Thea has left the Cream colored leather couch set.

Finn the large Northern hunting dog with icy blue eyes leaves, following Thea.

Catalana rambles along with her happy giggling. "Prince Tyrval told me I was once a queen. A beautiful one and that he can see the sphinxes around my head." She roughly pushes the crown on her head so it's slightly askew. "I'd only call the baby stupid or ugly if I was going to name it after Porter. But I won't. It'll be something classy. Like..." She searches the room for inspiration and settles on her drink. "Like. Crystal. Or Glass."

Denica wobbles her way to the exit, waving to Porter and those still present at the party, "I can paint a second Porter! Just let me get my brushes!" With that, she slips out.

Esme leans to say something to Porter and wrinkles her nose at the answer. Then Niklas has her attention. "OH! So, did he ride inside the whale to get here? Was he in her mouth? I mean, I'm sure many men have professed love and marriage when inside a woman or her mouth, so that part of the story makes sense." Esme nods towards Catalana. "Esme is a good name. You should name her Esme the second or something. You know what, just have enough babies to name after everyone." This seems like drunk logic. SHe watches the people heading out and lowers her brows. There may have been a light comment too.

Stojan, the assistant, 3 Thrax Guards, Damaia, the assistant, Lady Snow leave, following Denica.

Lucita murmurs to the others at the side of the room where she stands. "This has been a lot of fun but the time has come for me to head out and back toward home."

1 Saik Guard, Gunther, a Rottweiler, Micana, Golden, an Oakhaven bloodhound leave, following Lucita.

Esme is overheard praising Porter: For not being dead and having another year to celebrate. All hail the Porter.

Anything that Porter listens to, he has do with great concentration. And basically that means, it's impossible to focus on almost anything else that's going on at this point. So for several minutes, he's engrossed listening to Niklas, eventually laughing in an overly loud fashion. This is sad because his lack of attention span means he's going to miss Cat naming her babies after glassware. However! He does hear Ian and whatever it is, causes him to genuinely freeze up for a second. Then he sits up a little straighter and slings an arm around him before forcing him into a bear hug. He says something, but it's quiet enough that it doesn't carry.

Carita is overheard praising Catalana: Party planner extraordinaire! Winner of the night!

Ian is drunk enough that right now PORTER IS BEST BROTHER. Even though he's being bearhugged and possible strangled a little bit.

Once Zoey has taken the baby back, Sabella collapses down on one of the couches, still unfairly looking amazing, like she's posing for some kind of painting with her hair and dress falling just so. "Prince Tyrval is a very close relative of mine and he's amazingly helpful when he wants to be which isn't often but can be sometimes when you catch him in a good mood which you won't if you mention his father so don't do that," she tells the room wisely, raising a hand to gesture for another drink. Whatever Zoey says sets her giggling, "Don't say that or you'll end up with twins! That's what happened to me. I said, Nik, we will have one more baby and he said, no we have too many as it is and I said no, we need another one our last one is like nearly rolling over and he was like that's still a baby and I was like excuse me I'm naked and then twins! Twins, Zoey. Twins. Which means two of them babies. Which is more than one."

Porter loosens up that deathgrip he has on Ian, apparently he doesn't mean to actually strangle him. Despite that thing earlier where he said he was going to.

"Four, which was more than two! That's already three too many babies! I can't tell the damn things apart anymore. Relara is my favorite and I only know which one she is because she's the only one who can talk. The others are all basically the same. Lougareese." Niklas throws his hands up in frustration. To Esme he says, "While that's very suggestive, no, he rode on the whale's back. They fell in love over games of chess, which she mostly won, which is doubly impressive when you consider that she never saw the board and had to remember the positions of all the pieces."

Catalana flops down onto the couch too. "It's honestly ridiculously easy to convince them to do anything when you're naked." She suddenly knits her brow, like she's remembered and she loudly asks. "Why did I wake with Wash's pants and a bit of rope again?"

Ian is having a brotherly moment with Porter, and also not being strangled. (Maybe.) He nods to something his older brother says. Then, out loud, he says: "Hey, remember when Wash thought I was passed out and decided to draw on my face? And he fell off that bridge when I tried to stab him?" He grins lopsidedly. "We thought he was dead, but he was really out on a bender."

Niklas looks ill. "The concepts of Catalana and 'naked' do not need to be anywhere in range of one another, thanks."

"I told you a hundred times, *twins don't run in the family*. Either family. Not in Bisland, not in Kennex," Zoey insists, then turns to Catalana. "Right? No twins in Kennex?"

Esme stretches out in a feline fashion with the softest of noises as the end of it. "I prefer not to convince while naked. It's more fun to convince while in clothing. I like challenges." She thinks for a moment. "Although, naked does make things easy. I should be naked more." She offers Catalana a hug if she picks her couch to sit on. Then she looks at Ian and Porter. A nod of her head. "My brother just liked to put frogs in my bed, but like under the covers so I didn't know until the candle was out." Not a nice name thought here. Then she brightens. "Awww.. they fell in love over party games. How did you fall in love with your wife?"

Carita rises slowly, making sure she doesn't stumble, her hands smoothing over her hips as she make sure everything is in place. "Lady Catalana, thank you for the invitation, Lord Porter, happy birthday, Lord Ian and Lady Zoey, wonderful to see you again." She turns just slightly, "Patron Prince Niklas, and Princess Sabella, you both look as lovely as ever and I thank you for the chance to run Thrax's Taste.. of Axe." She hiccups. "I mean Arx." She points at Esme next, "Lovely meeting you... kind of!" She takes a wobbly step back, "Good night, don't worry, I can probably get home. It's close."

Ian is nodding at something and Porter is... accepting that but with a look like he's not sure about something. Either way, he leans back but keeps an arm around Ian's shoulder and shakes him at inopportune and very annoying moments. "We should probably stop losing whole people accidentally to benders," he comments, but in a way that suggests he could probably be talked out of this concept. Maybe they SHOULD lose people to benders. He leans over to Esme when he says something to him and blinks a few times before quietly replying. "Thank you for coming, Countess!

"He hit me in the side of the head with his elbow," Sabella answers for Nik, sliding over to lay her head on Catalana's shoulder when she also drapes down on the couch, "Knocked all good sense out of me. Then I threw my slipper at him and he stole it and Elizabetta had to carry me home from the park!"

Catalana leans aside and flicks Ian's nose at that memory "And you Bastards sent a lowly sailor to tell me he was dead. I cried for weeks and then almost died of shock when you...you Bastards started hooting and he was at the end of my bed!" She grins and flops back on the couch "Back from the dead sex is truly the best." she tells Zoey with a squint "I... don't know. You could take a chance and see."

"Yeah, Aethan was pretty pissed," Ian agrees, smiling to himself over the "pleasant" memory of that one time when he and Porter had to tell Aethan they lost Prince Washburn Grayson.

4 Redoubt Buccaneers, Luna, the Darkwater Assistant leave, following Carita.

Ian squints at Catalana. "No, that was a different time. That was his idea."

"He's back now-- oh fuck, where did he go?" Porter asks, voice rising as he tries to catch sight of Wash. "WE LOST HIM AGAIN." He's obviously not that worried because he catches ear of something else and starts to laugh uproariously.

Niklas offers Carita a wave as the baroness leaves. To Esme he says, "We went to a dreadfully long and boring opera, but were both wearing masks. At one point she asked me to dance and at one point I elbowed her in the face." He looks over at his wife. "She asked me!" Back to Esme, "She became my patron, then we argued a lot over the content of some of my plays so I decided it'd be easier if she was just my wife instead of my patron so she couldn't tell me what to do." He sighs. "That didn't work."

"I want to wait a year," Zoey tells Catalana, waving to the departing Carita. "I don't want to be heavy in summer again."

"And he wasn't supposed to be gone as long as he was," Ian continues explaining to Catalana. "He wanted us to hide him for a couple of days on a quick cruise around Stormbreak, but we caught wind of some raiders we'd been chasing for weeks and didn't want to lose them again."

Esme brightens. "Carrying around the city?" Her eyes shoot to Porter for no obvious reasons. It's obvious. Then she looks back towards Nik and Sabella. "Oh nothing says love like a little violence." She lowers her brows, "How many times has Wash come back from the dead?" She says something in low tones and then Porter is laughing. She can't help it. Drunk is convinced by drunk. So she starts laughing as well. Only she... wait for it.. snorts. Yep, that happened. Then her hand flies to her mouth because that's unladylike. She says another low comment. "You make beautiful babies though. You should have ten more."

Catalana squints at the brothers. "Which time? There's been... four. No six. No! five! Back from the dead trysts." There Nik. Is that better? Not naked. Tryst. She pets Sabella's hair and continues to torment her cousins. "The second time was the best. He came in and Delholm and father hadn't realized he was still alive. We ran into the closest room and spent a few hours..." She squints in recollection. "Pretty sure it was Nik's room actually."

Sabella laughs loudly at that, mirroring Esme in pressing her fingers to her lips to try to quiet the giggles, "There's an idea, Nik! How would you like to go see your old room?" She once again extends her hand with a flourish, this time to her husband since she's going to need to be helped up. Then in a stage whisper to Catalana and Zoey she says, "It will be fun to see him want to have sex but then think about how that leads to babies, but then also sex, and in five minutes you'll see him run screaming from the house. It'll be great."

Ian points a finger in Catalana's direction. "We were only responsible for one of those. That you heard about."

"I used to keep track of how many times we lost Wash, but honestly, I was putting tally marks down in this little book and then the little book ran out of pages. And I kind of thought, whatever. Does it really matter as long as he's probably alive? Who's counting." Well, apparently Porter was, the drunk idiot. Or not. It's possible SOME of that is an exaggeration.

"Most of those times we just lost him," Ian protests to Porter. "We knew he was alive. Probably. Just not which bar he was at."

Esme brightens at Sabella and laughs again. "OH! Please? Will you pleeeeease do that? Mainly as I want to see if he remembers his pan--swimming outfit or not." Something about that strikes her as even funnier. "Wait. I mean not that I want to see him naked or. I mean.. this is like when I got drunk and said I liked Wash's pants. It's all coming out wrong." She smiles wider though and looks at the others. She might be looking for a petting target. Her eyes slide over Cat's hair and then Porter's hair, but the others are not left out of this thought. It also shows on her features.

Esme is saying something quietly to Porter and it earns a short huff of laughter and reply before he turns to reply to Ian, "That's what I mean, //probably//. Just like I have no idea where he is now, but he's probably alive and not, you know. In the pool unsupervised and drunk." However something in that seems to prompt a look close to //mild// concern. "You know, I'm actually going to check that. If anyone leaves while I'm gone, thank you for coming! It was an amazing birthday! Ian, if I'm not back eventually? I'm probably just asleep on the ground."

Catalana pushes at Sabella to straighten her. "Oh Nik. Don't fret. Just don't make a baby." There. Drunk logic at it's best. She points again to the brothers. "It's all your fault. You taught him to love sailing. I could of been a princess. But I'm not."

"Ah," says Niklas mildly to Catalana. "I do remember coming home one day and finding my room reeked of fish. Fortunately all it took was some ether and an open flame and that was that." To Sabella he says, "I believe my old room has been repurposed into a nursery or possibly a library, but I can show you my new room. It's somewhat less convenient in that it is all the way across the plateau, but still rather an improvement because Liara told me she's having Abigail make that scorched custard every day from now on." Esme gets an imperious look. "Everyone wishes to see the Playwright naked, Lady Esme, but they only get to when he bares his soul on the stage. Also he is me. I don't usually refer to myself in the third person. I don't like it. I'm not a fan."

"If you fall asleep on the ground I'll send someone out with a pillow later," Zoey assures Porter

Porter has left the Cream colored leather couch set.

Sabella uses the push by Catalana to stand and fling her arms around Niklas as she basically falls forward on him, "If you hadn't stayed a lady, Nik could never've been a Prince, so he should really thank you more than he does. A Prince for a Prince is what Ainsley said. He did not like you," she tells Niklas gravely, then laughs and gives him a big, wet kiss, "But it's okay, I like you enough for infinite Tyrvals of time!"

Catalana chirps for Niklas, "No one wants to see you naked. Ever." She then too gathers herself. Apparently the lack of being a princess stings when you've consumed your body weight in rum. "I better make sure Wash is alive. Maybe he drank too much and is naked too." That at least perks her mood a bit.

"Princess Sabella probably does," Ian says to Catalana in a tone of voice that suggests that he feels he's currently the voice of reason.

Esme notes the rest of the people are going and she pushes herself off the couch. Okay, not really. She attempts to push off the couch and fails. So she sort of slinks onto the floor. It's okay, most of her skirts stay where they should. Then she's on her hands and knees to crawl back up to her feet. Everything is fine!

"He's got a huuuuuuge talent!" Sabella overshares happily.

"It's not -that- big," says Ian, who is totally talking about Niklas' talent right now.

Zoey's shoulders start shaking with barely contained laughter.

Catalana regards Sabella with a huge grin, "That's what they all say. Actors. They exaggerate everything!"

Niklas pats Sabella. "Ainsley has just never gotten to know me. If he did, he'd really hate me. Like Laric!" He sends a wave toward his terrible relatives. "Goodnight, all! Tell Porter I said that I would have drawn a dick on his passed-out face, but I had to go home." To Ian he says, "It's near legendary, friend. You just don't appreciate it because you like your talents all pointy and spraying blood everywhere. Which, hey, different strokes." Back to his wife, "Let's be gone. I n-" He stops suddenly, expression going cold, and turns on Catalana. "You fucking take that back. I am /not/ an," he turns and spits, "actor!"

Ian coughs, and dissolves into laughter.

"It's so big playwright Bastien couldn't take it and he's probably dead now," Sabella says solemnly. Then she blinks at Niklas' ferocity and of course, starts laughing, "Lady Nesme do you need help?"

"Don't spit in the house!" Zoey chides Niklas. "Someone could step in that!"

Esme studies Niklas and then reaches for Sabella's skirts. That's going to help her to her feet and to hold her balance. "I'm good. I mean I should be good. I'm sure I'll be fine. Home isn't too far away." Just you know all the way across the city, but she has this. There is a winning smile towards the others. "Thank you so much for the party though. Well for letting me come to the party. I promise, Porter said. I didn't just crash it." She will attempt to kiss Cat's cheek and Sabella's if allowed. "I should head for home or something."

The happy giggly drunk Cat is gone with Niklas's stare and words. Catalana's expression is one of a kicked puppy. Her blue eyes wide and watering from the sting of his tone. It's entirely possible it's not the first time she's been lashed at lately. She gathers her skirts in hands and ducks her head and mumbles some excuse before running up the stairs, two at a time.