a brimming glass of spiders

[bivariant]

WHO? Everyone.
WHAT? House parties.
WHEN? During the first three weeks, but after the banquet and House Chchai's demise.
ANYTHING ELSE? If characters have specific actions they'd like to take direct them here. Jumbled mess of a post plotting post is here.

Comments

[mylawn]

It’s hard to keep his focus on more than what’s in front of him, given the nature of this party and the attention the Araneans demand of him, but 76 does his best to stay aware of what’s in his periphery. He catches Cheris speaking with the matron out of the corner of his eye, and is ready and waiting the instant she needs to extract herself. Nobody looks particularly offended, so he can only assume it went about as well as it could have.

He welcomes her company simply because he’s a man and it’s safer to be accompanied, especially given his artificial nature and the apparent stir he created when he introduced himself to the Queen. All of that carries over to this party, and he’s taking it in stride as best he can.

“Could be worse.”

Could be a meal. He’s surveying the room with a stare that suggests he’s trying to chart every possible exit, forming contingency plan after contingency plan. All he’s really been doing otherwise is politely spurning advances by saying that he’s spoken for (and that Lena would be extremely upset if the Araneans got their hands on him without her express permission), so he’s clearly more interested in Cheris’ recent engagement.

“What’d she have to say?”

[bivariant]

"Could be," blood on the floor, flesh in a hungry belly. Could be worse, indeed.

Another bite of unidentifiable meat, the elegantly-crafted pins held in her fist like an abortive weapon. One spins, absent and fluid around her stiff fingers, an idleness in her muscles given to the memories of someone else. Someone far more used to spinning blades and pens and guns across palm and the tips of fingers. With her other hand, she crooks a finger, beckoning 76 to breach the scant few inches between their heights. Conspiratorially, she holds one last skewer of meat to him -- a natural camouflage for her whispering. No cause for curiosity, she's only offering the maleform a bite to eat.

"-- who do you think should sit the throne?" She answers, by way of questioning him.

[mylawn]

76 might admire the way she’s brave enough to eat the hors d’oeuvres, if not for the fact that he’s got his own reservations about eating anything he can’t name. He’s not so repulsed, however, that he doesn’t take the hint (and the food) when she offers it to him as cover for what she says next. It seems that, despite his outward appearance, he’s able to pick up on these kinds of cues.

He doesn’t want to linger too long lest he give the impression of closeness, so he answers quickly and keeps his voice low.

“Don’t especially care as long as they’re not in the Regency’s pocket.”

Their mission is to preserve the Queen’s rule, of course, but since the mission objective is to preserve COST’s supply of Ymir, there could be multiple means to the end. Keeping Thsh in power is just the most straightforward way to do that.

“What did you say?