Open Surprise For A Guard

[Ricky Maze]

Surprise For A Guard
Summer 15th 513 AV, 18th Bell
Location: World's End Grotto

DisclaimerPlease be aware that in joining this open thread, you are agreeing to a few rules (in addition to those of Mizahar and Zeltiva of course). There is a posting order to follow, you will always reply after the same person, unless a new person jumps in, then they are added to that spot in the posting order list. There's going to be a decent amount of time given for you need to reply, but please keep it reasonable so we can keep the thread moving. If you disappear for too long, you will be skipped over. Keep in mind that the more people that join the thread, the shorter the reply time becomes, just to be fair and reasonable to everyone here. Please respecy these rules, the writers that join, and most importantly just have fun with this!

Evening fell upon the city of Zeltiva quick, the late bells that counted the fall of the sun proved that time ran short. Earlier today Tallis had sent a note to Telion about a surprise party for Ricky, in celebration for his birthday as he actually turned twenty-seven today. She had planned on doing her own little thing since she remembered it this morning, but nature of Tallis' message proved that this would certainly be far more interesting. Telion knew a good opportunity when she saw one, and the chance for someone else who considered throwing a party for Ricky was certainly one worth taking. She had worn her usual outfit since she had been busy with the set up today, a soft sleeveless dress the color of robins egg blue with a white scarf loosely wrapped over her shoulders. Hannah had helped with the set up too, the fire red head wore her white tunic which tended to be a little bit suggestive. The two hadn't really taken the time to dress for the occasion, then again this wasn't anything worth dressing for. Just a simple party put together, as a surprise for a dear friend to the city of Zeltiva.

Though Telion hardly knew any of Ricky's friends she felt she could trust them well enough, for Ricky held them with high regard as of late when he talked about them. Thus the day was spent preparing a little get together that would surprise Ricky when the time was right, and with Castor Riley and Gale McCenry to help the set up had been just about done. The tables had been rearranged for catering purposes as well as places to sit for guests that attended. Drinks and refreshments included honey mead and Kelp Beer, while food would be fried cod, clam chowder, and a few other dishes for whatever apetite came to the hungry guests.

"Everything looks to be in order," Hannah approached Telion with her casual smile, "Shall I go get our unsuspecting teddy bear or would you like to?"

"Can you bring him here and keep him in the dark about all this?" Telion inquired as she checked the room around her.

"I hooked him up with you, so I'm sure keeping this secret should be nothing." She teased with a giggle, Telion let a soft chuckle go as she found the set up ready.

"Right. He'll probably be back at the house soon since he just got off." She pointed out with her right hand over her left bicep.

"Right then, I'll be back." The redhead waved to Telion as she walked on out of the Grotto, Telion sighed with an eased smile on her face. Everything had been set and prepared, now it was time to.make sure everyone was in attendance.

"Okay everyone. Thank you for coming, our guest of honor will be here soon so be ready to surprise him when he gets here! Is everybody all here or did we send Hannah too soon?" She started to take accountance to see who in the Grotto was here, as it was time for the guests to gather around for Ricky's arrival. Who all had shown up to join in with the surprise party?

"Ricky's words.", "Ricky's thoughts.", "Telion's words.", "Hannah's words.", "Other's words."

[Castor Riley]

It was a rare thing to be celebrating a birthday. It was not so much that people didn't feel like celebrating the day, just that, more often than not, the day was past before anyone realised, so no one really bothered. Therefore, Castor was very excited to be a part of Ricky's birthday celebrations. Truly, it would be a surprise for the Wave Guard. "Well, you know I've been here all along," he called out when Telion had asked. It felt good to be a part of something happy like this. Castor then turned his attention to his surroundings. He'd never really been to the World's End Grotto before, seeing as he'd gotten himself into University accommodation upon arriving in town, and the only bar he'd been to was the Kelp Bar. He'd helped rearrange the tables, setting everything in place under Telion's watchful eye. The pregnant woman was someone that Castor really wanted to get to know, seeing as she was his friend's love. They hadn't really had the chance to talk at the herbalist shop's opening, what with all the sudden arrivals. He'd have to find the time to do so, when her attention wasn't necessary in the coordination of the event any longer. The party was also attended by another woman Castor had met through Ricky. Seeing Hannah again for the first time since their meeting at the library had been a bit of a shock for Castor. They'd helped with different facets of the event, so they hadn't really had the chance to talk yet either. Castor wasn't sure what their meeting would be like. Certainly it would be entertaining for outside observers, and Hannah would most assuredly not shy away from the amusing possibilities of one for long. He just hoped he didn't make a fool of himself. All in all, the party promised to be an eventful one.

[Tallis]

Miss Serra Danalle, owner of the World’s End Grotto, had proven to be a shrewd business-woman and a kind-hearted soul as well. After a bit of negotiating and explaining, Tallis had managed to reserve space from the Grotto’s dining area and social lounge for the fair price of only two gold mizas. When Tallis had explained to the proprietress that he was holding a birthday party to celebrate one of the esteemed Wave Guards, she had been more than happy to help out. Tallis was simply relieved that he wouldn’t have to be preparing any food for the occasion; Serra’s catering was much appreciated. Just as he finished confirming the menu with her, in came Telion. She was wearing the same outfit she had worn at Leila’s grand opening and she practically glowed in the outfit. Here was another woman that Tallis owed his thanks to. She had been instrumental in preparing for the event and Tallis would have to thank her for all her hard work in getting everyone gathered on such short notice. “Telion! Hello again. Thank you for all the help. You must have worked really hard to get everything ready. I must admit, I’m not quite familiar with all of Ricky’s friends, so you’ve breathed life into this party. But please, don’t overwork yourself.” Thanks to a bit of auristics, Tallis knew that Telion was pregnant and, although he knew nothing about how it must feel to be pregnant, he assumed it was tiring. “I’m going to go make sure I have Ricky’s gift ready. You seem to have enough hands helping out, but please, tell Miss Danalle if you need anything. She’ll let me know.” Bending at the waist and offering the woman a polite bow, Tallis rushed off to find Burten Maze, father of one Ricky Maze. The elder Maze was Tallis’ gift to the younger. Although he couldn’t claim that he had brought Burten back to Zeltiva, he looked forward to claiming that he had reunited father and son. Tallis was absolutely sure that he would be giving Ricky the best gift he had ever received. Nothing could go wrong. Knocking on the door to the room that Old Burt was staying in, Tallis entered as soon as he heard the old man welcoming him in. “Mister Maze. This is it. You’ve had the last fortnight to prepare and now it’s finally going to happen.” Tallis was quite possibly more excited about Ricky’s birthday than even Ricky himself. “Now, don’t be nervous. You travelled throughout Mizahar, you can travel downstairs. Just spend the first few bells settling in. I’ll be right there when the time is right for you to tell Ricky what you have to tell him.” Holding the door open, Tallis ushered the man downstairs. “I think most of the guests are here. We’re just waiting for the man of the hour now.”

[Reign]

The thief had consumed a fine breakfast that morning. Composed of liquor and a loaf of stale, molding bread, it was probably the most satisfying meal she had devoured (Zelvita wasn’t exactly the most ideal location to purloin food) since her horrendous arrival at the seafaring city But, while delicious, the contents of her feast hadn’t done much to soothe the nagging hang-over she was suffering from. Generally she made a point to avoid alcohol in any form, a little booze went a long way in her system and her body had a rather nasty history of not being capable to handle the addictive stuff well. Her job required her victims’ heads to be fuzzy, not hers. But sometimes, when the days became more unbearable than usual, she would uncontrollably drink herself silly, and toss the little coin she possessed down the drain. Unlike most of her crazed nights, yesterday was a complete misty blur, she could recall stealing two bottles of kelp beer from her neighbor’s kitchen (the fool always left his front door unlocked whenever he went out to molest citizens strolling on East Street) but the trail ended there… She assumed the next morning she had drunken them both, by the shattered corpses of the glass bottles that lay scattered about her cottage. Of course she hadn’t been able to sweep the mess up just yet, the floor kept leaning up to smack her face and the walls were rude enough to keep closing in on her. A couple of shards of glass in lodged painfully in the soles of her feet later, the thief simply swigged some more booze from her reserves and snagged some disgusting bread she hadn’t noticed on the table two nights before. She couldn’t quite stab a finger at how she ended up at the World End’s Grotto. In a daze, it wasn’t until she stumbled into (on habit) the usual packed bar that she realized that a small group of people were setting up for an event… perhaps a party. Mind clicking, Reign decided to play it cool; parties, if they were any good, meant liquor and the thief didn’t want to break her binge. Limping to a table in the back, her legs hadn’t been working the way they used to since her attack; she attempted to survey the scene. The only familiar face in the room was that of Mister Riley, a friendly librarian she had some days before while searching for an adventure book at the Wright Memorial.. Oh! now she could recall why she had been drinking, that pesky trip to that gods forsaken library had really screwed with her emotions and had been especially difficult to handle that night. Trying not draw attention to herself Reign also studied a pretty woman who seemed to be in charge of the ordeal. Blond, slight and marked with a distinct amount of beauty it was no surprise that she was clearly knocked up. Crossing her arms, Reign sank low into her seat.

[Ricky Maze]

NoteMoving the thread along we have the order; Castor, Tallis, and Reign. Anybody else is still welcome to walk in or be part of the crowd as prior to the party, and whoever joins will be bumped to the bottom of the roster.

Castor's remark on being present left Telion to smile and laugh a little, pleased to see that he had such enthusiasm for an event like this. Ricky had come to grow rather fond of having Castor as a friend, well enough for Telion to think him as the good sort to have around. Tallis too of course had to have a good spirit as well after today, the nature of this surprise party being just that of another friend to have. Thus when he gave thanks for her she nodded her head in appreciation, a soft smile on her face as she too returned thanks for his compliment. It didn't take auristics to be able to tell she was pregnant now of course, so she thought little about how she was so careful when it came to work. Already a slight bump had began to form where as her dress could hardly hide it, thus the observant eyes would surely be able to tell she actually had a young child growing inside her.

"Okay then, thank you again everyone for coming. Today is the day Ricky Maze turns twenty-seven, and to some of us he's become a special guard we can only appreciate to have. Which is why your attendance tonight means so much to me, so that we may all show we're here for him too." She twindled her fingers nervously, aware that the small group of guests that attended were all watching her. Though shy tonight she would step out of that shell, and find herself evermore ready to live a fun and interactive life with the man who she remained tied to. As she rounded the guests and urged any new arrivals that entered to join together, the time had come to finally be ready for the guest of honor. Pretty soon Ricky would arrive unsuspecting that a party had been put together for him.

"Eight years I've waited for the chance to see my son again, now I'll be comin' face to face with him soon... I thank ya young scholar." Burt gave an appreciative nod to Tallis as he came outside his room, the weight in his legs a bit heavy as the nerves felt nervous to finally meet with Ricky once more. As he and Tallis made their way down the stairs he notioned for the Stormwarden to join with the group that began to form, the excitement only began to grow in which the surpise became all the more anticipated. Burten took a seat near a woman that was more of a background guest than anything, it helped him blend in until Tallis would find the appropriate time to reunite the father and son. Reign would find that upon further observation this man looked just like an older version of the Wave Guard she had met some odd days earlier, only with a weathered face and scar over his right eye and a few patches of grey in his hair and beard.

[Gale Austin McCenry]

"Look at you, Gale. You are scrambling to complete a home made gift last minute." The man mumbled under his breath.

Having never been notified about Ricky's birthday (at least not that he remember) the news about the surprise party was....well, surprising. If he had known sooner, the artist would have saved up for a gift. But of course, luck and fate had a different plan in mind. Now he was stuck to give his good friend (one of his only) a hurried sketch of that confounded dog. Gale had a hunch that this was going to be a horrible idea. Of course, Ricky loved Odis. However, the blonde wasn't entirely sure if he was over his death completely. It would have been 'safer' to just do a portrait of the birthday boy, but that would be a shykey gift, not to mention less thoughtful, if it wasn't unthoughtful already.

"Augh." He grumbled under his breath as his wrist twitched across the paper to form lines, hoping they would somehow resemble a dog. Holding the very end of his stick of charcoal, light lines were scribbled on the side of the dog's muzzle, under his ear, and the side of his neck. It was only the head and neck, due to time constraints. Nevertheless, it was clearly the head of a dog known as Odis. The Waveguard's beloved companion.

Repositioning his fingers to the tip of the piece of charcoal, his face leaned closer to the paper as he carefully filled in the wet nose and joyful eyes. Sadly for Gale, he remember the dog's expression very well from when they first met. Happy-go-lucky. Playful. One of the only dogs he has met that didn't want to make him their chew toy.

The picture was complete. Lifting it up to give it a once over, Gale scowled at the sketchy look. He was never fond of sketches, but with Hannah going to get Ricky, he didn't have time to put more detail in it. Disappointed in the poorly done job, the widower rolled his eyes and sighed. "A gift is a gift." An attempt to reassure himself that Ricky will like. However, knowing him, he would say he loved it regardless of his true opinion. Seeing the torn edge of the page where he ripped it out of his book, he took out his knife and quickly trimmed it off. With the present the best it would ever look, the blonde sighed, looking up around the room.

A lot of unfamiliar faces. "Have not met you..." The blue eyes skimmed past Castor. "Nor you two." A glance at the older gentleman and the young lady who recently joined them. But one personTallis looked familiar. It was on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't pinpoint it. Maybe knowing his name will spark the memory... Ah well. Now wasn't the time to remembering old faces. It was time to get ready to surprise his true friend Ricky for his special day.

OOC :

Just for fun, here is the picture of Odis.

[Tallis]

Following Burten down the stairs, Tallis accompanied the older man to the table and took a seat beside him. He felt a certain obligation to be there in case Burten needed someone to talk to. Hopefully, along with the good food, good drink, and good company, Burten would find his nerves steadying so that he would be ready when the right time came. Tallis and Burten had entered the room at the end of Telion’s speech, and they had respectfully joined in with the smattering of applause that followed. It had been short, sweet, and to the point. He was sure that, later in the evening, there would be more to hear when it came time to toast the man of the evening. Telion would undoubtedly have more to say and Tallis also had a short speech planned as well - one that ended in the introduction of Ricky’s father. Now there wasn’t much else to do but wait for Ricky to arrive. Taking the short time before he came, Tallis decided to become a bit more familiar with the people at his table. It appeared he wasn’t the first to do so either, as a somewhat familiar man with dirty blonde hair assessed each person at the table. It appeared that everyone was a stranger here. Hopefully that wouldn’t be so by the end of the night. Deciding to go with the flow, Tallis introduced himself first. “I can’t say that I recognize any of you either so let me go first. My name’s Tallis, former student at the University. I had a hand in setting up this party, although I have to admit that I’ve only recently gotten to know Ricky. It’s nice to meet all of you.”

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Common Vani Nari

Tallis suddenly spoke, telling them that he hadn't recognized any of them either... Either... How did he know what he was thinking? Did he have some sot of mind reading ability or something? Wow, that would be really weird... What if he was reading his mind right now? That would suck. It would practically be him just straight out saying that mind reading was weird. Haha! What an interesting thought... He apparently also set up some of the party. Wow, how very interesting Tallis. Because the most important thing we all need to know about you is how much you helped out with Ricky birthday celebration. You sir, know your priorities. You've made that very clear. Congratulations. At least he ended with a somewhat humble statement. If one could even call it that.

"McCenry. Gale McCenry." The man introduced himself, plastering a smile onto his face.

Although his introduction wasn't how Gale would introduce himself, he pushed the matter away and tried to remember where he recognized that damn name. It would kill him if he didn't figure it out by the end of the day. The name brought the blonde that much closer to remembering, but it couldn't click yet. He stared at Tallis, watching him for several ticks intently. Much like someone would an abstract painting. A rather blank look but managed to be covered with a layer of thoughtfulness. However, instead of contemplating what the meaning of an abstract piece of art was, he was trying to recall a memory. Visually looking through the filing cabinets of his mind and rewinding his memory. Zooming back and picturing every face he could possibly have met recently except for his. Why couldn't he remember!?

The Zeltivan removed his gaze from the 'former student' to look at the other few at the table, only for it to return to Tallis. Gale propped his elbow on the table and leaned his face against his hand, watching. His eyes would occasionally zip to another part of the room to not seem as rude, but for a good majority of the time, they were glued to the familiar man. Damn his memory.