[voice]

[wannabethehero]

[The audio on this message is a little hard to pick out from some background noise - it sounds like Kiwi is in a public area with a lot of chatter.]

Hi everyone. So, Will is staying with me for a while. He's been really stressed and sad, after the monster attack and...some friends of his getting sick.

So I want to do something to cheer him up; I'm putting together kind of a last minute party. Nothing too fancy...if you want to come over, we can play some games or just talk. I just want to remind Will that we love him and we're still here!

Let me know if you'd like to come...and don't tell Will about it! I want to surprise him.

Comments

[The Best Partygoer]

[original_is_best]

A.
Verstael was there, of course, very directly because of Will. Far from a party animal, he'd had more interest in a mysterious illness spreading across the populace or the inner workings of giant spiders than cheese and crackers. But Will had wanted him to come for some incomprehensible reason only the gods could understand, so he came.

Not that he'd never attended a party before. He'd occasionally been dragged into political banquets. Usually thinly veiled excuses to feast and gossip.

Well, if he was to be here he might as well liven up the mood by asking about unfamiliar and potentially lethal illnesses that could kill them all.

"Have you any knowledge of this 'vanishing' illness?"

B.
This was a party, so Verstael did the only reasonable thing and collected a plate of food, claimed a table in the corner, and furiously jotted down a private journal entry to himself. Perhaps he was used to being left alone.

C.
Do you like pictures? For a moment it looks as if maybe Verstael will help decorate, but on closer inspection he's actually just sketching out a horrifying spider graph, not expertly drawn but at least recognizable as being related to the spiders they recently fought in detail.

D. - Regis
At some point, when he saw an opportunity to speak with him, Verstael quickly approached Regis, almost appearing if he was going to pass right by him. But he paused, glanced up, and spoke directly.

"I have business with you when the party is over."

D. - Regis

[kingkingcxiii]

For his part, after the little trick he used to get Will to the party, Regis has been on his best behavior, sitting and resting so that Will will focus on the party instead of hovering over him. It's honestly starting to get a little boring since he's used to mingling with people at parties.

Well, it's boring until Verstael--of his own volition even--approaches him.

Regis raises a eyebrow in the scientist's direction, "Are you certain you're talking to the right person?"

[original_is_best]

"I am. But I can't speak of the details here. You can come with me to my place after."

Never mind the unintentional innuendo that phrase might usually entail. He has something important to check, which meant it should be just as important to Regis.

He glanced around the party, at all the other normal people who enjoyed it as normal people would, and for a brief moment at Will. Everything seemed fine here.

"Our continued attendance doesn't seem particularly necessary. We can go in a bit."

Because that's more fun than staying at a party, right?

[kingkingcxiii]

"We can go now if it is that important."

And it must be something fairly so. He highly doubts Verstael would search him out specifically for anything else.

Regis pulls himself to his feet, making his own visual inspection of the crowd as he does. Ah yes, there is Cor, being a wallflower as usual. He will watch over Will and Will will watch over him. It works out nicely, "Shall we?"

[original_is_best]

"Very well, then."

He was certain Will would do just fine without them. He had plenty of people here.

Without reason to waste any time, he headed for the door with Regis in tow, ready to head directly to his 'home'.

[flawed_immortality]

See the trouble with that idea, gentlemen, is that Cor has been people watching the entire time now. Well... people watching and petting a certain flareon. As soon as he noticed Verstael he was, of course, watching him. So when he stops near Regis Cor's already getting to his feet. By the time his stubborn King starts following the crazy Niff scientist he's moving to intercept them, a distressed Arche trotting after him.

"Regis!" He doesn't raise his voice so much as say his name with enough force to demand his attention, reaching out to catch his sleeve a second later. "Where do you two think you're going?"

[kingkingcxiii]

It's very difficult for Regis not to roll his eyes when hears his name and then feels the pull on his sleeve. He does stop walking, though.

"Cor, please don't cause a scene. He's asked for my insight into something. I am going to give it. It is as simple as that," Regis gives his friend a stern look. "There are things that are not to be discussed at celebrations. You know this as well as I do."

[original_is_best]

Verstael paused when Regis did, since leaving without him would be pointless. The soldier, of course. Of all the Lucians, Cor was the one Verstael least wanted the presence of.

"It will not require your attendance," he told Cor directly and firmly. Which was true. But also, he didn't want Cor there.

[flawed_immortality]

For a moment he gives Regis a look that says very clearly what he thinks of this incredibly flawed logic. Then Verstael has to go and open his mouth and Cor's expression goes from irritated to something far far darker, lip curling slightly as he shifts his gaze to glower at Besithia.

"If it requires my King then you know damn well it does." He glances back to Regis but now, with Verstael pushing so hard to keep him away, he's loathe to take his gaze off the real threat here.

"Majesty, I agree here is not the place for such conversations but, with all due respect, I will not allow you to be alone with a man of his caliber. Clarus would never forgive me and in his absence I must act as your Shield."

[kingkingcxiii]

Oh no, Cor. Cor. Did you really just invoke his Shield against him?

That...might not have been a good idea.

Something in Regis' expression closes off, though since Cor knows him so well, he may be able to catch a glimpse of sadness before it's gone.

"If you are to act as my Shield here, then you need to learn a very important lesson very quickly. It is one Clarus learned as well."

Even if said man hated it with all his being.

"Sometimes you must trust the king's safety to his own hands. This is one of those occasions."

[original_is_best]

He was loathe to allow Cor to come. He might not have much choice, but he knew well the more people present the more likely secrets were to get out, and Cor was far from someone he trusted with his safety. No, Cor was more likely to purposely endanger him.

He waited momentarily in silence to see how this would go. He couldn't force his hand here - he at least knew his own limitations physically.

[flawed_immortality]

Seeing that flicker of sadness and the way Regis shuts down there's the slightest flinch from Cor. Not at the words or the tone but that he's done something to upset Regis. For a moment he considers arguing, insisting.

Verstael is a monster and the absolute last person Cor trusts his king with. The hand that had just been lightly touching Regis' sleeve shifts to squeeze his arm lightly, a hint at how much this entire thing scares him. Then he closes his eyes, lets out a slow breath and when he opens them again Cor is gone, only the Marshal left behind.

"If that is what my King commands, so be it. Might I at least recommend that whatever private space you move to it be one of his Majesty's choosing?" Please don't let him take you to his lab or some other place he's likely trapped and reinforced and Gods only know what else.

[kingkingcxiii]

Regis hates seeing Cor shut down like that, to know that separation--so much more complete than what he does--still persists into the future. Quietly, he is glad he's already pulled up his own mask so that neither Cor nor Verstael can see just how much he hates it. There is no way for him to respond to the squeeze on his arm without it being obvious, so he does his best by acknowledging the compromise even though he suspects going to the lab is unavoidable.

"That is not a bad idea, though I'm uncertain if it is a feasible one," his gaze shifts from Cor to Verstael. "Will the resources in your lab be required for this discussion?"

B

[begguiling]

Oh, he's not getting away without being hassled. During a lull in Magolor's own partying, he makes it a point to drift over and latch onto Verstael's back, peeking over his shoulder at the paper. But even if he can't get a good look, it's fine. This is still just what he's doing right now.

"Wow, you're even taking notes on a surprise party?"

B

[original_is_best]

Lifting his head, he glanced over his shoulder with hardly a flinch.

"Naturally. It is a good time to gather information, is it not?"

Of his notes, 'I'm not sure why I' was visible, but the rest was difficult to see without x-ray vision.

[begguiling]

No x-ray vision here. That is not one of Magolor's many skills. He doesn't make a move to see the rest of the page, at least not yet; instead he just settles comfortably where he is, and laughs.

"Most people just call that people-watching, you know! And they don't take notes on it. Most people would call that creepy."

[original_is_best]

"Fortunately, I'm not 'most'. And I'm accustomed to people misunderstanding."

If he took offense he didn't show it. Which likely meant he didn't since he wasn't one to hide what he thought much. He truly was used to people shunning him. Luckily, he thought himself grand enough to not let them tear him down.

"You are here for Will, then?"

[begguiling]

Verstael is too powerful. What a guy. Magolor just giggles again, hanging off his back.

"We're friends and all! I couldn't not come. What about you? Just people-watching, or is there actually something more personal lurking in that stone heart of yours?"

It's not even an insult, really; Magolor sure doesn't care whose heart is made of cold black stone. It's funny to pick on, and nothing more serious than that. His own heart is pretty rock-like anyway, if better hidden than some.

[original_is_best]

"Will is a valuable ally and he requested my attendance. I could spare some time for him."

He actually spent a considerable amount of time with Will, so as professionally as he put it he quite liked Will. It might prove to be a liability in the future.

"Will is quite impressive at networking, it would seem. But have you heard of this vanishing disease that claimed his former housemates?"

[begguiling]

A valuable ally. Magolor has to wonder at what that means; it could be anything. Verstael-speak for "a friend"? An actual political ally, perhaps spying on the opposing faction from Verstael's world that Magolor knows exists here? A financial ally who cuddles up to him for profit, like Magolor is doing right now? Who knows? The man's opaque. It's his charm. And, even now, digging for info, just as he said he was.

"Only from him, so I can't tell you anything he hasn't. It came as a big, nasty surprise to me too! I'm going to look into it, of course. That's not something we can just let go."

[original_is_best]

"Hn," he let out a brief hum in response. He'd hoped to hear more, but it seemed Magolor didn't know too much yet, either. "Indeed, we will have to discover how it is spread and if it is contagious. We can't simply let it go."

Though his current entry had nothing to do with that. Glancing down and tapping a pen to his mouth for a moment, he moved that paper aside and quickly covered it up. "I'm surprised information about something so conspicuous hasn't spread much more quickly. I would have expected mass panic." He glanced over his shoulder. It always seemed like he had to look back at Magolor. "We should keep an eye on Will, considering his prolonged exposure to several people."

[begguiling]

Magolor doesn't get a look at the paper, but he does note how quickly Verstael covered it. SO maybe it was something a little more personal, considering the few words of it he had seen. Fascinating!

And on a less gossipy note, the man has a point. Magolor nods, more seen than felt the way he's positioned right now.

"I don't know if I think it's contagious, but on the other hand, it's telling that three people who live together would all catch it. That'd be one heck of a coincidence, right?"

And yet the thought of it being contagious doesn't make much sense, if Will's explanation of it having something to do with "not belonging here" is accurate. This is why he needs to go shake down those robots.

"I'm sure the natives knew there'd be mass panic too. That's why we suspiciously haven't heard anything about it until it was too late."

[original_is_best]

It could be. Verstael wouldn't share easily, though. While normally he was pretty open, he knew when to keep things to himself.

"It is quite worrying. We know little about it right now beyond what we've been told, and we have no evidence to back up those claims. Some have recovered from it, so that does leave us with hope. We may need to find effective methods for curing people."

Intriguing but at the same time distressing. Verstael knew that unexplained plagues could cause a lot of damage. They needed to understand it as soon as possible and take control. Knowledge was power here.

"It seems the one he is moving in with also had some trouble with the disease. If there is a contagious element, Will has been exposed at length. ...I will be sure to let him know that should he suffer any symptoms, he should contact me immediately."

The thought disturbed him. Perhaps more than it should, but he didn't want Will to disappear.

[begguiling]

"You, specifically?"

Verstael keeps surprising him; there could be a lot of reasons behind that kind of insistence. He is a medical professional, so it makes sense on that level. And maybe that's where it begins and ends. But he doesn't know yet what to do about the disease, or even if anything can be done, so again Magolor has to wonder: is this just a personal thing? He is here at the party.

He wonders, but he doesn't ask, yet. Instead he needles a little:

"Shouldn't he be calling the temples, not his beloved friend Chief?"

How did this tag get lost?

[original_is_best]

"I can't think of anyone more qualified. I prefer to take care of things myself." With a small nods in Magolor's direction, he emphasized, "If you want something done right."

Do it yourself. Oh, not that he'd never had help, and other people certainly had their place. But when things were important he liked to be hands-on. He wouldn't make the mistakes others would.

"When did you become so close with the natives?"