zingz [gala/open]

[king]

"i hate this." grayson trudged into the breeder's guild with an unhappy expression, having barely bothered to dress up. he'd gotten a call from mercedes with almost death threats if he didn't attend her gala. "i better get a damn good egg out of this, mercedes."

nana, meanwhile, seemed quite happy. she trotted in, tail flicking, looking for familiar friends that she could see. or friends she could meet! reyja clung to the back of grayson's head, looking around curiously. she hadn't had as much social interaction as nana, and was a bit more shy. <i'm scared, this is so busy.> reyja whimpered.

"it'll be okay." grayson stroked the whimsicott's face with a finger. "we can be awkward together."

@open

[CAEDMON]

elias likes the gala. it's basically the only place in juno, proserpina or even nerio where he can get a really nice drink. sure they are places in nerio but they're so expensive and they often don't serve him. he really wishes he could have wine like this more often.

of course--he's here, so no one asks him for ID or anything. he gets his drink easy peasy and slips away to a more...sheltered area of the room. there's a man and his whimsicott there but they don't seem like they'll want to talk too much. still, he offers some small talk: "hey."

king

[king]

grayson had a scotch in hand, clinking the ice cube in it around. "hi." was the only response he offered.

the espeon, however, seemed ecstatic for company. <hello!> she mewed, sending the message telepathetically to elias. <i'm nana, and this is my trainer, grayson! reyja is the whimsicott on his head. she's shy. so is my trainer. what's your name?>

CAEDMON

[CAEDMON]

grayson responds. he thinks that'll be the end of it. which is fine. but the espeon has already started conversing with him within a moment, so he looks down at her and gives her a pat on the head. "elias--" but he realizes quickly that he's talking aloud, and instead starts to converse with the espeon through his mind. did he come for the egg? or does he actually want to be here?

king

[king]

grayson gives elias A Look. "what."

nana, meanwhile, was communicating. <the egg, grayson is a breeder. as well, lady mercedes gave him a call and threatened him with bodily harm if he didn't attend.> she looked incredibly cheery while saying this. grayson looked down at the espeon, eyebrow raised.

"you're talking to him aren't you."

the espeon shook her head innocently.

CAEDMON

[CAEDMON]

don't worry, i'm here for the egg as well. and the wine. it's just...tough to find people to talk to. i don't do parties, usually.

i mean, i'm invited to them all the time but... elias smiled nervously. but i usually don't go.

because i don't like them. not because i'm not invited.

he turns his head and looks innocently at grayson. "what? no, she's just very cute."

king

[king]

grayson grunted and took a sip of his scotch. "little snot espeon." he said.

<same with grayson! he hates people.> nana didn't seem particularly bothered by grayson's words. she knew he loved her. she padded over to grayson and rubbed up against his leg, purring.

"...hmph."

CAEDMON

[CAEDMON]

"little snot espeon." elias stood up and waggled a finger at grayson, sipping his drink. "woah there." he starts, "she's just trying to be friendly. jeez." and he bends right back down and answers the espeon, this time out loud.

"yeah, he seems very grumpy around other people, doesn't he?" elias grinned. "y'know what i suggest? i think you should discipline him." and he gives the espeon another pat on the back. "yeah. that should help."

"a spanking, maybe. or maybe you should take away his phone. or send him to his room."

king

[king]

"you're not there in the morning. she's friendly only to herself." grayson snapped, scowling. "don't talk to me like you're hot shit. go fuck yourself." the whimsicott sits down on grayson's shoulder, blocking elias from his view. grayson goes back to his phone.

<he's very grumpy around people. but he does treat us very well.> the espeon turned around, showing off the gleam of her coat in the light. <he's a very successful breeder, even if he doesn't look like it.>

CAEDMON

[CAEDMON]

elias didn't respond to grayson, only gave out a sigh, looking to the espeon.

why don't you tell him to lighten up? it's a party. elias straightened his tie.

he doesn't have to like it- but he should at least make it enjoyable for you and reyja.

king

[king]

nana shrugged. <he lets us out to roam as we please. we're fairly independant. reyja is still shy, so she will stick with grayson. he lets me go off on my own though, he trusts me.>

she positively beamed.

CAEDMON

[CAEDMON]

well, i guess that's good. elias bit his lower lip.

hey. where's your trainer from?

king

[king]

<bacchus town.> her ears and tail drooped now. <sometimes i think he's so prickly because he lost everyone he cared about when the scourge hit. almost everyone he knew died.>

she watched as grayson sipped at his scotch, before noticing it was empty and going to refill it. <we are his family now. and he is ours.>

CAEDMON

[CAEDMON]

elias frowns. thinks for a moment. clearly grayson cared about nana and reyja-- they seemed to care for him a lot too. he scratched his head.

hey. ask grayson if he wants to dance. ....eeer, that sounded weird, didn't it. not with me, but there's gotta be some girls around her somewhere or something.

king

[king]

nana giggled. <grayson would rather be at home cooking. i promise. don't worry.> she stood then, flicking her tail. <it was lovely meeting you, elias, but now i should be getting back to grayson. fare well!>

with that, she trotted off
CAEDMON