InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Let there be LIGHT!"

Sascha Connolly, Ph.D. (bohemiarhapsody) wrote in nosuchtimes,
@ 2008-11-07 01:23:00

Entry tags:

echo planck, emily planck, irei arakaki, mitsuko kamiyama, sascha connolly

OPEN to all of Elysium- PARTY TIME!
Who: OPEN TO ALL
When: Tuesday, October 23, 2007- Late evening
Where: The Tiki Hut and surrounding shoreline
What: Irei's first-ever birthday party!

Sascha had never been much of a party planner, so the fact that everything had gone off without a single hitch (even given the adverse weather conditions) seemed like a miracle in and of itself. Today was Irei's birthday, and since neither of them had ever had an actual party before, Sascha decided it was high time they made some changes to their usual birthday routine. They definitely had the resources for a large scale celebration here in Elysium, and that was exactly what Sascha was looking to give his best friend.

He'd had the presence of mind to post some flyers in strategic locations throughout Helicharis to let people know about the upcoming event, making sure to mention that no RSVPs or gifts were necessary (although they were always appreciated.) The weather had suddenly turned nasty less than a week before the party; fortunately for him, enough of the Tiki Hut and its adjoining dance floor was covered to ensure that no one in attendance would end up stranded in the rain.

The sun had already dipped below the sharp line of the horizon by the time Sascha and Irei made their way along the shoreline leading to the Tiki Hut. Irei wasn't privy to the exact details of the night's celebration, although he knew something was definitely up; Sascha rarely went out of his way to dress beyond comfortably shabby, and he sure as hell never did for the fun of it. It was one day out of the year when he could bear to make himself "presentable" by Irei's standards, though, and he'd had the tailor's help to outfit him in a flattering black and pinstripe ensemble with his hair pulled back into a tight little ponytail.

He pulled his cigarette away from his lips and grinned at his companion as the festivities came into view. It seemed he needn't have worried about the weather preventing people from seeing his flyers; the bar and dance floor areas were already at full capacity with a few familiar faces and many strangers, but everyone seemed to be having an entertaining time. A band had set up under one of the covered areas, and an extra canopy tent had been erected above the sandy overflow dance floor to shield the party-goers from the light mist outside. Sascha had even worked out an arrangement to have some food and employees from both the restaurant and cafe sent over to accomodate the sheer number of people present. Yes indeed, it looked like all of his work had paid off.

"Thought you could use a decent night out for once," he said with a smirk as he replaced the cigarette and motioned at the crowd of people. "Half of these bastards are just here for the alcohol, but I figured that's what you're usually here for, too." Sweeney had already begun to make friends with some of the servers in the buffet line, and Sascha gave Irei a firm pat on the back as he ushered him into the melee. "Happy birthday, by the way."

All posts here are welcome! Sub-threads, narratives, whatever you like- just have your characters show up, for cryin' out loud! XD

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Irei, Sascha, Emily and Echo

echoenergy
2008-11-09 01:36 pm UTC (link)

Echo grinned at Irei's positive response and especially the acceptance of her request to dance. "You're very welcome," she said and couldn't contain her excitement about dancing. "I've hardly ever danced with a guy before! You know, either they're too shy or they can't dance. Mom tells me that my dad always danced with her when they were going out and I'm glad he's in good company." She dropped the grin and looked at the men with a sudden mature expression. "You definitely need to have a good time. Both of you. You deserve it." With that, she reached out to take one hand of theirs each and squeeze it briefly before her hands fell to her side.

Emily gave Irei a smile and remained silent for now, letting her daughter talk because it was easier that way. She adored her friends, but parties were never her forte. She easily became a wallflower and right now she had no idea what to say. "I'm glad you like it," Emily said after a few moments and caught Sascha's gaze on her. It flustered her, and she quickly looked back at Echo, who was continuing to chat.

"So do you have cake?" Echo wanted to know. "It's so not a birthday without cake and other sweet things to stuff your face with." She grinned and failed to look innocent. They should have brought something along, but perhaps their company was good enough. "Isn't that right, Sascha? Well, I always like frosting the best. Or you could have cocktails instead, I guess, if you want something sweet."

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Re: Irei, Sascha, Emily and Echo

iseedeadpeople
2008-11-11 09:25 am UTC (link)

"I think it is a little odd to say that my first birthday party happened to be on my twenty seventh birthday." Irei smiled at the poking jab from his friend. He wasn't sure exactly what he was supposed to do at a party like this. He had only been a guest to one, Emily's birthday party, and certainly had never been the person being honored. He really hoped he wouldn't have to make a speech or something awkward like that. Maybe he should just employ a strategy of becoming to drunk to remember most of the night.

Echo's delight was infectious, even for the normally somber necromancer. He wasn't quite as skilled at charming children like Sascha, but Echo and Zosimus had seemed to like him well enough. "Ah, well then lucky you. Sascha taught me how to dance a while back ago, so you don't have to worry about me stepping on your feet."

Irei didn't know what to think of Echo's father. He hadn't met the man, but he was not sure he could be so quickly forgiving as Echo and Emily seemed to be. His father walked away from him as well, but his parents had been married, and divorce was practically unheard of at the time in Japan.

He smiled at Emily. "Of course I love it. It is the first present anyone, other than Sascha, has given me." He took the knife and placed it in his back pocket for safe keeping, not that that would really keep it safe from Sascha, but it was relatively safe from everyone else.

"Hmm, a cake? I am not sure. Knowing Sascha, I am sure there is something sweet to eat around here. What is your favorite kind of cake Echo-chan?"

Echo was asking about cocktails. What was it with girls and the fruity drinks? Aveira, the female vampire he had met in this very place not so long ago, had been the first woman he had met in Elysium who didn't seem particularly fond of the sweet alcoholic concoctions. Maybe he could find her a virgin frozen margarita or something. You could hardly taste any alcohol in those kinds of drinks anyways.

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Re: Irei, Sascha, Emily and Echo

bohemiarhapsody
2008-11-20 03:29 am UTC (link)

Sascha was touched at the look of genuine concern on Echo's face as she encouraged him and Irei to have fun, and he listened with a sort of quiet satisfaction as she chattered happily along at his roommate. Echo was definitely a people-person, and although Irei would be the first to deny it, the necromancer seemed to have a knack for inadvertantly drawing in admirers as well.

"Not too hot on cocktails myself, but as far as cake goes..." He winked playfully at Echo. "You'll just have to wait and see." Sascha knew that Irei usually had little regard for sweet things, but this was a birthday party, damnit, and what good would a birthday party be without a birthday cake? Of course, that was a surprise for later in the evening. In the meanwhile, he'd have to make sure everyone partied down accordingly- and possibly restrain Irei from draining all the liquor in the Tiki Hut before the night was through. Oh yes, he knew the thoughts churning behind his friend's ice blue eyes without needing to resort to mind-reading.

The cheery little blonde seemed intent on claiming Irei for a dance, and Sascha took that as his cue to play up his role as host. "No time like the present to put on your dancing shoes, isn't that right, Miss Echo? The music's loud, and neither one of you has a partner yet." He watched Emily out of the corner of his eye as he gestured at Echo and Irei to move closer so they could have a proper dance. "As for me, I think I'll just grab some drinks for all of us so you two can cool down once you're finished. Help me carry, Miss Emily?" He caught the woman's eye then and smiled, knowing her courteous nature wouldn't allow her to turn down his offer.

Sascha moved away from the pair with a wave, looking back expectantly at Emily and waiting for her to catch up to him as he left the dance floor and headed for one of the refreshment tables. "That dress is really something," he said as they approached one of the large punch bowls and waited for the server to dole out the drink into separate cups. "Although it's hard for you to look any prettier than you naturally do." He'd tried to avoid the gratuitous flirting, he really had, especially given the discussion during their last encounter; there was just something about Emily that practically begged for it, though, and he was always happy to oblige.

He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, of course, so he bit his tongue at the next flirtatious remark that threatened to escape and grinned amiably, passing a couple of the drinks from the server over to Emily to hold. "I'm glad you could make it. He's never had a real party before, so it really means something to have the people he cares about here to celebrate with him...y'know, along with the complete strangers." Sascha easily palmed two of the cups in one hand and reached down to settle the other against the small of Emily's back as he steered her just off the edge of the dance floor to wait for the others to join them again.

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Irei, Sascha, Emily and Echo

healingenergy
2008-12-01 07:45 pm UTC (link)

Echo was happy that Irei agreed to dance with her and smiled at him, before thinking of an answer to his question. (It didn't take very long.) "Chocolate, of course! With plenty of chocolate frosting," she said. "But I can't wait until the cake!" Any kind of cake was fine with her as long as she could get a piece. She grinned and rested her hand on Irei's elbow to lead the way to an empty space on the dance floor after Sascha's comment, with a little wave to him and her mother. It was not long before she started to dance, twisting her hips a little and grinning all the while.

Nodding at Sascha's question, Emily followed him to the refreshment table. She didn't quite know what to say as the awkwardness she felt remained. It seemed wrong for him to make comments about her when he was seeing someone and so was she. "Thank you," she said quietly and took a couple of cups, waiting for him to receive the others. It was difficult to return the smile and so she was not able to manage it. Turning the topic to Irei was much easier for her and her mood lifted. "Of course. We wouldn't have missed it for the world. After all, you two are our - my closest friends here."

She increased her pace when he touched her back, moving to an open space in the dance floor to wait with the two cups in her hand. It was a little rude to have done that and she bit her lip for a moment. Maybe drinking some of the punch might help her and she downed a quarter of her cup, looking at the people around her to occupy her thoughts. So far, so good... but if he were to confront her about her strange behavior, she had to tell him what she knew. Yes, that was the right thing to do.

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Irei, Sascha, Emily and Echo

bohemiarhapsody
2008-12-11 02:28 am UTC (link)

Sascha blinked in confusion when Emily pulled away from his hand and then proceeded to ignore him while she threw back her punch. Hm, so he hadn't been imagining all the strange tension hanging in the air between them. His companion seemed perfectly content to distract herself with people-watching, but Sascha wasn't about to let her off the hook so easily.

"Miss Emily," he began slowly, tilting his head slightly to one side as he tried to catch her attention, "is everything alright? You're awfully quiet tonight." He paused a moment before venturing, "Did I do something wrong?" Sascha honestly had no idea what might have put the woman at such unease around him when she seemed perfectly fine in Irei's presence, but it just wouldn't do to have this kind of awkwardness in the midst of a celebration.

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Re: Irei, Sascha, Emily and Echo

iseedeadpeople
2008-12-12 11:11 am UTC (link)

Irei felt himself cringe on the inside. Chocolate with chocolate frosting! The thought of it just made his teeth want to rot in his head, but he really hadn’t expected anything else from Echo. She could probably burn off the excess sugar very quickly knowing her hyper activities. “Well, I do not think it will have much chocolate in the cake. Hopefully none. Too much sweets tend to make me sick.” Sascha knew about the tragic death of Irei’s sweet tooth. Irei believed it must have been defective since he was born.

Irei excused himself and went over to the bar and ordered the teenager a virgin strawberry daiquiri. He didn’t think Emily would really want her daughter drinking something with alcohol, and even though he had been drinking from a fairly young age, he wanted to respect Emily’s wishes. He also got himself a mixed whiskey drink before returning and handing Echo the frozen strawberry drink. In Irei’s opinion the alcohol is so weak in frozen drinks that it is impossible to taste anyways. Maybe Echo wouldn’t notice.

Taking a sip of his drink Irei noticed that Emily and Sascha had moved away and over to the dance floor. Emily looked a little distraught and Irei furrowed his brow wondering what was wrong. “I’ll be right back Miss Echo and then we can have our dance, ne?” He gave the girl a smile and walked over toward his friends to see what was wrong.

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Irei, Sascha, Emily and Echo

healingenergy
2008-12-14 10:04 am UTC (link)

Technically he had done nothing wrong for her to treat him like this, but the potentional information she learned changed things - at least for her. She felt somewhat guilty as he asked what was the problem. She owed him a truthful answer if nothing else to see his reaction. Emily frowned, embarrassed, and played with a strand of hair. "Is it true that you and Irei are really together?" she asked. "Because I don't think it's fair on Irei if you flirt with me. And... I don't know, it's strange for me... " Their friendship had a strange start, as they had breached the boundaries of being platonic that one night.

She liked him, maybe in a way she wasn't supposed to, and it hurt that he had not been honest with her. It was important for partners to be faithful to one another and she wanted to ensure both her friends were happy. "So, please --" Emily had no idea what she wanted to say. She was incoherent and that was never a good sign. Biting her lip for a moment, she realized she was being unfair to him and slid her arms around his waist to give him a hug. "I'm sorry." Her mouth brushed against his cheek and then she stood back from him to cross her arms over her stomach. "I don't want to feel awkward around you. You mean a lot to me, you know."

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Irei, Sascha, Emily and Echo

bohemiarhapsody
2008-12-15 05:17 pm UTC (link)

Oh, holy crap, he'd picked a bad time to take a drink. There had been such a long pause after he'd asked Emily his initial question that he'd taken the opportunity to gulp down a few mouthfuls of punch, since his throat had been dry and fairly parched from all the talking he'd done tying up loose ends for the party. Then she'd opened her mouth, and the words that tumbled out caught him completely and utterly by surprise. If it was a reaction that Emily wanted to see, she was sure as hell about to get one.

His first response would have been to chuckle very loudly at the notion of him and Irei "together," but seeing as his mouth was currently full of liquid, that idea didn't go over too well. Sascha snorted reflexively in amusement, but the action caused some of the punch to go down the wrong way; within seconds he was sputtering and coughing, and he nearly sprayed a few unsuspecting party guests with regurgitated punch. He was so taken aback at the suggestion that once he had managed to even his breathing out again, he didn't bother with his customary courtesy titles.

"Emily, where the hell did you hear that?" he asked as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. There was no sharp or accusing edge to his tone- in fact, he sounded more as though he were on the brink of uproarious laughter. He accepted the hug and kiss with an affectionate rub of her shoulders, and he pulled her further away from the edge of the dance floor and out of hearing range of the other guests. "Is that what all this is about? You think there's something between me and Irei?"

Dear God, if only the necromancer could hear them now, he'd probably piss his pants laughing...or maybe that was just Sascha's inclination. It was difficult to keep a straight face as he spoke, but Emily seemed very serious about the issue, so he tried to address her concern with as little smirking as possible. "I won't lie to you, Emily. We've slept together on a number of occasions, and I'm pretty sure that's not gonna stop anytime soon. Neither of us ever mentioned that detail to you precisely because we didn't want things to be awkward between us. You mean a lot to the both of us, too, y'know...we didn't want to lose that. We still don't."

Sascha reached out to brush his fingers against her hand reassuringly. "Believe me when I say there are absolutely no romantic feelings between me and Irei. I know we're a lot closer than most friends tend to be, but that's really all we are. Friends."

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Irei, Sascha, Emily and Echo

healingenergy
2008-12-19 12:35 pm UTC (link)

Emily blinked. She had no idea why what she said was so funny, but perhaps it was like that with a friend who didn't seem at all like one's type. Him laughing only made her feel worse as she waited for him to stop - at least he wasn't choking, and that soothed the slight worry that had popped up in her mind. To be honest, secretly she did not want Sascha to be with Irei and that was her wicked, selfish side of her talking. Both of them deserved every happiness in the world, and she was with someone, so she needed to stop being ridiculous.

Now she had to recall her unpleasant conversation with that woman in order to explain. With a sigh, Emily began to explain. "A little while back, I had a horrible conversation with Lucinda who said it. It wasn't the main part of our conversation, though - she was positive that you had come onto her teenage son. I didn't think you were the type of person to do that and I told her that, but she didn't believe me. And then she said quite a few hurtful things to me. Is that true, or has she got that wrong as well?"

She was sure that Sascha had always and would continue to be honest with her and she was glad to hear that he told her the truth now. Relief rushed over her, and it was somewhat nice that he was insistent there was nothing between them. "Okay. Look, if you decided to get together in the future, I'd be more than happy for you. It was just - I don't like someone telling me horrible things about a man I love because they don't know him well enough to make those accusations." Emily didn't want there to be awkwardness to be between them, or any reason for her to turn against two of her first friends in Elysium. She was a woman who attached very quickly and sincerely to people, but she usually did not get herself into trouble that way.

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OOC: OH NO HE DIDN'T XD

bohemiarhapsody
2008-12-20 02:39 pm UTC (link)

Sascha didn't immediately recognize the name as Emily spoke of her encounter with the woman, but her identity became all too clear once mention had been made of the teenage son. Ohhh boy, this didn't sound good; in fact, it sounded like he had one pissed-off mother hot on his heels. A brief shot of fear seized up in his chest as he wondered whether or not the woman had already voiced her concerns to her son- to Zach. He hadn't seen the young man since that incident in the library a month or so ago...

"Lucinda...Kitano?" he ventured a little unsurely, schooling his face into a neutral expression. No sense in worrying Emily any further, especially if there was actually a bit of truth to the accusation- not that he intended to let her know that, of course. "Can't say I've ever talked to her before, but I do know her son, Zach. I've helped him out on a few occasions, and his father works at the library, too, so I see him around every once in awhile..." Yes, it was probably a good idea not to mention his initial bouts of stalking, or the (literal) handful of hard-ons the younger man had once elicited in him.

The truth of the matter here, though, (and in this case truth was used very liberally) was that Sascha hadn't ever directly come onto Zach, so at least he could answer Emily's question sincerely. "No, I haven't come onto her son, but it definitely sounds like we need to sort a few things out. She approached you about this?" He wasn't quite sure what to think about that, although he could feel a sudden anger beginning to stir deep in his belly. What right did this woman have to say something hurtful and upsetting to Emily when he was the one she needed to confront? That was completely uncalled for, and once he crossed paths with this Lucinda, he intended to let her know it.

"I'm sorry you were involved, Emily, that never should have happened. I'll take care of it." Sascha couldn't help the wave of affection that washed over him as he looked at her then, and he gently pulled her into another half-hug. She'd defended him because she thought of him as a genuinely decent person, and although part of him felt ashamed to have let her down, another part felt thrilled that she held him in such high esteem. He really didn't deserve her. "Thanks for standin' up for me, though. Glad to know I've got a few real friends here."

The conversation changed direction as she moved back to the topic of him and Irei, and the idea once again brought a grin to Sascha's face. One of the phrases she used fleetingly caught his attention- a man I love- and his brow furrowed lightly. She must have been speaking affectionately or in a figurative sense, surely that was all. Wasn't she the one constantly reminding him that she felt uncomfortable with his flirting because she was already in a relationship? Yes, that had to explain it.

"I think I'm flattered," he said cheerily, relieved to see that the tension between them had practically melted away over the course of their discussion. As it was, he felt totally at ease returning her affectionate sentiments without a trace of flirtation. "And I love you, too, daisy darlin'. Don't ever be afraid to ask me if you need something." He could see Irei approaching them from the corner of his eye, and he waited for the man of the hour to join them before continuing with the conversation.

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iseedeadpeople
2008-12-28 10:49 am UTC (link)

Irei had been close enough to hear Emily's words about him and Sascha being a couple. It had stopped him in his tracks for a second. One would think that going out to bars nearly every night for drinks and scouting for potential partners would quell any rumors of an intimate relationship between himself and his roommate. Irei would do absolutely anything for Sascha, but he had thought that both of them were fairly discrete about their personal business and home interaction.

He shook it off and continued on his way over to his friends, making sure to get a good measure of the alcohol down his throat before tackling this. He walked up as they were hugging. Sascha seemed to do a good job of reassuring Emily that what Lucinda said was unfounded and pure speculation on her part and possibly her husband's. Irei hadn't even seen Zach since the night he had stayed in their bungalow because the kid was to drunk to walk. That had kind of reminded Irei of himself at that age.

“Ah, Emily-chan, Sascha is not teasing you, right? I could beat him up for you if you wish.” He could pretend like he hadn’t heard any of their conversation for Emily’s sake. Most of Irei’s reactions with Emily were a way of protecting her from his own thoughts and actions. He would play a sort of watered down version of himself around her as he did with most people. He didn’t want her to know what he and Sascha did, how much he drank, the reasons why it was hard to sleep at night. Sascha was the only one allowed to see Irei breakdown, because Irei trusted him enough to pick up the pieces afterward. For the practiced fake smile would have to be enough for Emily.

He gave Sascha a side long glance as the corners of his lips turned upward. “So did you get me a cake? Echo-chan has been asking what kind of cake I have, but I have little taste for sweet things.” He said the last part of that sentence for Emily’s benefit. He would continue to eat cookies that she brought him, but anything really decadent might make him sick.

“So what have you two been talking about? Me behind my back?”

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healingenergy
2009-01-01 04:02 pm UTC (link)

"Yes." Emily gazed at him as she answered his question. So Sascha did know him; that hadn't been a lie. She did not want to jump to conclusions, but her heart pounded a little faster as she waited for him to continue. The answer was negative and she exhaled a small sigh of relief. He'd fix things with Lucinda and with any luck, Emily would never have to meet her again. "Oh, no she was asking around who knew you and when I said I did, we talked and there you have it. She was really worried and said hurtful things. I hope you can make things right."

She returned the small hug. "No worries." The talk had left her uncomfortable, but now that she knew it was unfounded accusations, Emily relaxed much more now. "And any time." She'd defend any of her friends and while Sascha was flirtatious, she knew he was a good person and meant well. That was all that mattered. "I'm your friend through thick and thin. As they say." Emily tried to be the kind of friend that people wanted and hoped that they would return the affection in kind.

He was the first man outside her family to say that and she smiled at him, happy that they were good friends. "I will." She heard Irei's voice and turned to look at the man. "Oh, don't worry, he isn't." She wanted to help the two of them so much and would have supported them through whatever problem came their way if they asked for her assistance. Emily wanted them to ask because she held both in such high regard. The conversation then turned to cake and she looked somewhat embarrassed. "I did make you a cake... A chocolate bundt cake. I'll show you."

She led the two men over to a table where she had put the cake, which was on a plate and covered. Emily removed the cover to reveal the bundt cake and hoped it wasn't too sweet for him. It was far too easy to spoil people with cake, but she had been determined to make something elegant enough for him. "It's dark chocolate and not overly sweet... I could be wrong." She was being modest as always, mostly from nerves. "Would you like to try a piece?" Irei was the birthday man, after all, and fully entitled to enjoy it. Emily found a small knife and cut a piece to give to Irei, slicing another one and handing it to Sascha.

"We weren't talking about anything important." She didn't want her friend to worry. "I hope you're having a good time so far."

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