Forums » Sci-Fi Roleplay » Summer Soiree: The Furfolk Alliance Bonfire

Aquila glanced up at Sprite in surprise. He had been gazing at the sunsetty sky, mesmerized by its beauty, and so suddenly being addressed had caught him off guard. He regained himself quickly, though, as he leaned down to touch the instrument case that was now resting on the ground at his feet.
"It's a violin," He told Sprite, opening up the case to reveal the instrument inside. It was made from gleaming dark wood, and the craftsmanship was excellent, something that would likely be obvious even to someone who didn't know much about violins in particular. Aquila had saved up for a very long time to be able to afford it; he certainly hadn't made it himself. He had a few talents, but making instruments was not one of them.
It was clear by the boy's expression that this instrument meant a lot to him. Indeed, he would protect it with his life, and it wasn't long before he closed the case again, ensuring the instrument's protection in case of any mishaps.
"If everyone is up for it, I might play something later," He added after a brief pause. "... The host said it would be okay."

Patches watched Randle kneel down an extend a hand. He had big, noticeable stitches, just like they did. Also, just like Patches, he looked a tad unsettling. Patches also noticed that despite looking like a big kitty, he had no fur. It was more like... skin? Leather? Rubber? Patches wasn't sure what it was, but who were they to judge?

'It's good to see folks like me out here. Name's Randle, Randle Pentecost.' He said.

"Raaaandllleee!" Patches echoed, their big, pillowy arm wrapping around his massive paw to shake. "Me Patches! It's nice to meet yooouuu."

As Patches let go of his hand, and the ragtag crew of the Rustbucket made their way to the bonfire, Patches waddled back over to Cris, still pulling their string. "Fox-Friend sure has a looot of friends!"

Patches would know. They happened to be one of said friends!

Curly held Yaaz tightly to him as if he never wanted to let go, and nuzzled back softly, the sound of his purrs warming his heart like not even the warmest sunshine could. "I couldn't stop thinking how amazing it would be to attend together... I never had many chances to partake in these kinds of event, and your presence makes it all more special." Blinking playfully with his reptilian eyes, he added "Not that it's a surprise... you just bring fabulousness wherever you go..." For how could the play of the sun on Yaaz's iridescent scales be described as anything other than glorious?

Resting his head on his beloved's shoulder, he glanced idly at the other people surrounding them... and his neck frills foled out in surprise when the bunny doll on Cris's shoulder suddenly started talking and running around. Yet, even his dog's sense of scent told him that this was no robot, not like the black and white hurricane on four paws that he was used to see around her. Strange! But his nose told him something else, and he eyed the young man with the violin quietly. "I believe there might be more to that one that meets the eye", he whispered quietly to Yaaz, wondering if he had sensed it too with his magical powers. He could distinguish a faint smell of feathers and... fur? Still, he did not say anything aloud for the rest of the group to hear, only sharing his thoughts with Yaaz; if the violin player did not want to reveal who they were just yet, they probably had their good reasons.

When Yaaz held him a little closer at the sight of the Rustbucket, Curly reassuringly brushed his long reptilian tail against his beloved' own. "It's just their transport, one of the most common vehicles people use in my world", he explained softly. "I'm not familiar with that one, though..." His brow furrowed slightly as a massive antropomorphic cat emerged from the shuttle, followed by two humans and a woman who, like the violin player, looked human on the outside but had a different smell, something that made Curly think of wilderness and made his lizard donor a little uneasy. But Cris seemed to know them well, and he relaxed seeing them exchange pleasant greetings with each others. "You know... I used to not be very fond of artificial robotic lifeforms", he confessed to Yaaz. "Especially the ones modeled after animals, it sounded almost like they were meant to replace living beings... but I guess living with Newt and Alysanne has kinda changed my mind. They're... not so bad, for not being biologicals. And you've known Newt... reckless as he is, it's kinda impossible to not care for the kid." Definitely something his nephew had not inherited from Leonard - so it had to come from Alysanne, somehow. That Newton's eagerness to make friends and fun-loving personality might be partially inherited from his biologic uncle never even crossed his mind, and it'd have surprised him so much...

But the next guest surprised him far more than all the others - why, another chimera like them? This one looked like a mix between a cat, an arachnid and a human. Born, created or the result of a mutation? Curly's neck frills folded slightly, but not as much as when Patches had totally caught him off surprise. Twining his fingers with Yaaz's own, he watched with good natured curiosity all the various people mingling. There could be so much to learn!

"Stars forbid!", Cris chuckled at Artie's joke about accidentally setting up a second bonfire with her clumsiness around electronics. "Only safe fires for today!" Zero's answer caused her to raise an eyebrow and glance at Artie and Sprite quizzically. "Uh - you sure it wasn't a glass apple? How sharp it had to be to scar you that bad you think I'd not recognize you?" At Randle's words, though, she chuckled and gently dragged the robot cat after his pals. "Hah, don't worry, I can handle it! And you really should take some time off duty and forget about responsibilities for a while, detective Pentecost!" she joked. "You're the guests, think about enjoying the party and chilling!" Though, if she knew Randle any, it was jut as natural for him to want to make himself useful as it was for her. "I promise there won't be any need to dress up as mobsters today!" she concluded with a last chuckle, watching as the group went to take their seats before she turned back to Kit.

Hearing them attempt to pronounce her name was endearing: She smiled reassuringly and nodded to show that 'Cish' worked just as well. When they introduced themselves, she tried to replicate the sound; "Ccct-cccct?" Gosh, she sounded like a parrot attempting to snap a seed in two! She couldn't refrain from chuckling at her own clumsiness and shook her head. "Stars, I'm terrible with languages - I'm sorry, I must have mauled it!..." But when Yaaz offered his help with translation, she looked up at him and Curly with a bright smile. "Oh, you could? Thank you so much, that'd be priceless! What are you guys having for drinks, anyway? You prefer coconut water, if I recall right?", she asked Curly, and giggled at the chimera's surprised look. "What? I have good memory! Come, have a look, I've packed a little bit of everything", she offered, leading the way toward a series of coolers nearby, in which several kinds of bottles and tins were pleasantly refrigerated. A gym bag contained everything from plastic cups to straws and corkscrews. Meanwhile, she explained reassuringly to Kit: "Yaaz here can allow us to talk telepathically without the language issue, he is a very powerful warlock..."

She looked down when Patches caught up with them, and smiled, picking up the doll on her shoulder again. "And a lot of new friends too! That's half of the fun!"

Kit was not well versed in civilised beverages. They typically lacked a need to be, given they could not taste the difference between flavours. Water and liquified prey were their primary diet; though not everywhere did they have access to the latter. protein drinks and mushed food were the alternatives that high civilisation had to offer. Just what an event like this would have to that end, however, was a question they did not know the answer to.

"Kit," Kt-tk responded to Cris's attempt to pronounce their name, flinching a little in the process. Others seemed to find 'Kit' easier.

Before they could rummage for anything vaguely resembling their preferences, they stopped at the dialogue about telepathy. It was a word they had heard before. They didn't understand it fully. Mind stuff, right? It was one of those things that they never needed to think about. They got by just fine with how they communicated without it; though it was often awkward for all parties involved. They had no comment on the subject, having no real preference either way.

“You should come to my current holiday home sometime, more hybrids then you can shake a stick at honestly.” he rolls his eyes and smiles. Leaning in, Yaaz gave multiple little kisses to the top of Curly’s head and ear base as the hound’s head rested on his shoulder. Looking over to who Curly was referring to, the man with the violin, and whispered back “Yes I would agree but theres always a reason people hide these things.” He could use all manner of true sight and scrying but this wasn’t an event to pry into peoples personal matters. He was here to enjoy the beach and his beloved’s company.

Wrapping his tail around Curly’s he stared wide eyed at the Rustbucket. “We have airships but nothing like this…that one…I am surprised to see it functions..” he whispered quietly. Did they always look like a flying scrapyard? He was distracted by those who came out of the ship, especially the pale child that seemed to positively radiate magic. He looked back to Curly “Really? We have whats called ‘War-forged’ back home, but they are as the name states, machines of war. Some tinker with small animal shapes as use them as familiars. Me..I rather go into the faewylde's and tame a dandelion.” he grinned. It was interesting that no matter the world, people found others different from them a challenge.

Attention drifted to Cris trying to communicate with the spider/cat creature. She had accepted the offer for a spell but the other seemed blank or indifferent. “Unfortunately my magic works after being granted consent, I can prove this for you my dear.” a brief wave of his hand towards Cris and she’d be able to communicate telepathically with those she directed it towards. Mind reading was a completely different spell. The beast allowed himself to be pulled in the direction of the drinks. Although simple, the coolers and cans were completely futuristic to Yaaz. “ooooo, whats in here exclusive to your world My Dear?” he rested his chin on Curly’s shoulder and looked over at the drinks while hugging the hybrid from behind. Getting the sense he was being watched he looked around to see the pale child and flashed him a smile and a nod, beckoning him over for a chat.

"Viol'n? So it'sa instrument then, righ'?" Sprite said, looking the boy up and down. Funny, although he was like, human as hell, she did feel a bit of a tickle in her chest, as if her Therion was trying to surface and sniff the kid for itself, sensing somethin' different about him. "I'd be down t'hear some'o that! W'need some good party vibes 'round 'ere, an' live music's defo what m'own party missed. Good luck wit' that shit, eyy." She'd never had much of a talent for making music, probably because she hadn't even known that instruments existed until after she escaped the Vault. At least the factories'd taught her plenty of cool, old skool working shanties, though! With a little scritch behind her head and a tiny squeeze of the arm that curled around Artie, Sprite then decided to give into her internal curiosity for a little, bite-sized bit. "So uhh, wha's a lil' guy like y'doin' way out 'ere? Y'know any funky fuzzy folk y'self?" Therion were the only known shapeshifting creatures where she was from - mortal ones, anyway -, but she'd learnt that in other realms there were loads of critters that could take on beastly shapes, some more graciously than others. While Sprite tried to put her detective skills to the test, Artie'd opted to lean back against her girlfriend and rest her head on her sturdy shoulder, looking up at the brilliant skies that hung above the silvery seas like a giant ceiling fresco. Smalltalk and meeting total strangers wasn't a real speciality of hers, so unless spoken to, she quite enjoyed nuzzling away into her favorite dork's warmth and looking at one of the many 'big-ass nerd things' that fascinated her so much: astronomy, the atmospheres of foreign planets, and everything of the sort. She wouldn't deny that a cold beer would be a great addition, sooner or later.. Meanwhile, Zero was delighted to see his curious look returned by the cool sparkly guy, and grinned from ear to ear when the black-but-rainbowy scaled dude beckoned him over. He looked to his friends for a sec; Randle was the only one who wasn't occupied with anything else and gave him a smile and nod of approval. Geez, the kid was nearing puberty, he was old enough to make these choices for himself. Onwards! "H-heya! So um, you guys are like, SUPER cool!" Z started off after bouncing over to the cuddling couple. His senses hadn't fooled him; the sparkly guy was like a heat lamp of magickal presence, filling his heart with joy and fascination. It wasn't often that he met others with such a potent arcane profile! "I'm, uh, I'm Zero! I'm with them!" He blindly pointed behind him before crouching down by the lovey-dovey duo, not entirely sure how to say what he was thinking. It was something among the lines of: whoa, you got a lot of magickal vibes about you, do you wanna exchange some cool spells and tricks, maybe?, but he didn't want to bother them too much. "Okay so, I got the idea that you are like, super-mega good with magick and stuff, that true?" Going steady, Z, going steady. "Because, uh, me too! We could show each other our magick tricks, if you want. Later?" The sparkly guy looked like he knew a lot of flashy spells. He could be wrong, though, he hadn't forgotten about that creepy lady who smelled of very sweet flowers and always wore pink who, somehow, only did creepy flesh-bending dark spells.

Amber remained in the distance just watching the feist happening, more people gathering and she was less and less up for getting in the middle of such event. She was, after all, just a fox, and her humanish form was clumsy and she barely could speak.

Just after starting at them for a little bit longer, she couldn't help getting closer for a moment to get some food, peacefully not wanting to disturb anyone, she turned into her human form, forgetting to take her clothes with her. She was told to wear them when turning to skin, but she often would forget. Still, she was there just for a bite as she didn't truly understand the reason of the feist anyway.

With that done and hoping not to get too much attention, Amber moved closer to the fire trying to get herself something to eat. After that, she didn't plan to stay much longer since it was already overwhelming enough to her.

((I'll step back after this post, my routine just got crazy with work and finishing my master's degree this month so I realized I don't have time to keep up with the replies, this goes so fast! Haha!))

Aquila nodded, smiling at Sprite's enthusiasm. He would be glad to provide a bit of music for everyone at the party, and was relieved that, so far, they seemed open to it.
"Um..." He shifted in his seat, unsure of how best to answer Sprite's question. He didn't want to reveal too much, nor did he want to lie. He figured that being a bit on the vague side was his best bet.
"Well, most of the people I've known in my life have been human. A few that were.. not so much.. but then, they also weren't what you would call fuzzy, either." That was true. Where Aquila came from, most people were human. There were underwater races of merfolk and sea-serpent people, and magic-wielders too, many of whom were described as non-human as well, but that was likely meant as an insult, and not an accurate descriptor of who they were. On his more recent travels, he had met more diverse races, but he didn't really know any of those people that well. They were just passers by, or perhaps acquaintances; he hadn't been anywhere long enough, or around people kind enough, to make friends.
He left out any details about himself, implying that he was human (which was only half-wrong), but also not claiming to be anything in particular, so that later, if the truth came out, Aquila wouldn't have been a liar. He was sure that letting these people know about his shapeshifting ability wouldn't be dangerous; they seemed open enough. It was just something he didn't want to think about, or talk about. Besides, there was always the chance of the information somehow spreading further than he had meant it to. If certain people outside of this group managed to find out, it could end badly... Maybe Aquila was right to be so secretive, or maybe he was worrying for nothing. But this was how it had always been for him.
"As for me... I sort of came here on a whim," He explained. "I've been traveling for a while, and I ended up hearing about this gathering. I... thought it might be nice to have some company, and something to eat, too." Again, this was pretty much true. Aquila hadn't had a good meal in a while, so the free food appealed to him. And spending an evening with people who were a little bit like himself (even if they didn't all know it), seemed nice. He had ended up in a lot of places over the last several months- different countries, different planets- and they had ranged from down-right atrocious to reasonably acceptable. This was certainly the best so far; the people were welcoming and the scenery was beautiful. He wondered where he would be going next.

The moment Blacklight arrived, his head spun and he fell flat on his stomach, sending sand flying. Whatever scenery and guests were before him were currently blur as the events leading to this moment raced through his mind.

He had gone to pick up supplies from Rhith once more but when he arrived, the crazy jackal had handed him a tablet with info about the event.

"I've sent in the info already. Your ride will be shortly"

Blacklight had fumbled the tablet at what Rhith said. "What!? But...but-"

"But nothing" The black one pressed a finger to Blacklight's nose. "You'll never be more than you are if you avoid others for eternity. Go on! Have fun! Make friends for a change!"

Now, he lie on the sand wondering how and why he kept letting Rhith talk him into such insanity. No turning back now.

"Make friends...right...if they don't run me off first..." He muttered to himself.

Voices seep into his ears and his nose twitches at the scent of food and fire, drawing his focus back to here and now. Before him a myriad of strange shadows amongst the sunset. The sheer number made him shudder despite the fun they seemed to be having. What a delight that would be to laugh and....wait...wasn't that why he was here?

Just as he shifted his arms, preparing to get back up, the purple flames caught his attention. It's familiar color stirred something deep inside, calling to him. He had to get closer. By force of habit, he clenched his eyes shut and flattened his ears before crawling across the beach, using only the mysterious pull to guide him forward. This meant he was likely to collide into one of the others, however.

Still indifferent to the thought of using telepathy, Kit decided to move on, too enticed by the idea of potential food. They made their way over to the coolers and blankly stared at the array of options. Their knowledge of bottled beverages was so poor they didn't even know what to look out for. Were there any protein drinks in there? Or anything that could provide nutrition as well as hydration?

They shoved their large hands into the nearest cooler, nudging bottles all around; but thankfully refrained from actually knocking anything over. They chittered to themselves curiously as they pulled their hands out having not found anything that could shed more on the nature of the stock.

Kit let out a whine. "Potein! Potein!" They demanded of the coolers as though they were sentient. They followed up with a groan of frustration.

Still seeming to go rather unnoticed, Amber managed to get some of the food that was cooking on by the fire, still in her fox form as she was quite insecure abour showing her humanish form and interacting with people, the place becoming all the more croweded by minutes which was already overwhelming for her.

After the little bite, she looked around trying to act casually. If you'd look at her, she might perfectly look like someone's companion or even pet, so after just a few more minutes she decided to step back and rush into the dark forest, ready to head back home and hopefully not getting lost on the way.

Whilst they were perching on Cris' shoulder, Patches had noticed one of the guests was making a racket.

'Potein! Potein!' The fluffy... spider? Cat? Er, the fluffy friend shouted, rummaging through the assortment of drinks that could be found in the cooler.

Curiously, Patches slid down Cris' arm like a firepole, holding onto her hand for a brief moment before letting go of it, promptly wandering over to investigate.

Just as the rabbit-dressed ragdoll was waddling over to Kit, they stopped to address the latest arrival to the party; a jackal with glowing eyes.

"Hellooo, New-Friend!" Patches waved at Blacklight. The typical greeting that one would hear the moment Patches pulled the string on their back. "Patches likes your eyes. Veeerrry bright."

Patches had already waddled away once their brief introduction was over. They had gone over to join Kit at the coolers. They peered inside at the cans of drinks, bathing in ice. Kit was shouting about something, but Patches did not seem to understand what they wanted. Was a drink they wanted not here?

"Does Fluffy-Friend want a driiink?" Patches gestured to the cans with their open hand. "Patches can help you geeet ooonnne."

"Yaaiiieeee!!" Sand flew as Blacklight sprung into the air, broken from the strange call and frizzing like a cat, at the sudden hello. He was ready to bolt when he landed on his feet but this strange soul...living plush was waving at him?

"H-hello and...thank you?" A tentative wave was given as the unusual patchwork continued on it's way.

No hiding now. He turned his head to get a better look at the rests of the guests now that he was closer. It was one thing seeing a menagerie of Anima but those were rarely seen, here, there seemed to be a menagerie of strange furfolk, even...humanish ones? Perhaps, things wouldn't be so bad.

Suddenly his ears fell again and he scurried after the little doll. "I-I....wait..."

He caught up just in time to hear Patches offer to help another get a drink. Slowly, he peeked around them to find a creature most unusual, resembling some of the creatures he'd seen within his mysticism studies. Ears sprang up in an instant as he waved at the spider creature.

"Esh, dink," Kt-tk insisted, spreading their legs out to lower themselves down a few inches to get a different angle on the drinks collection, and also as a bonus be closer to the height of Patches. "Food dink. Potein. Nnnn..." Their pedipalps and fangs twitched one-at-a-time from left to right in a wave motion as they tried to express themselves in frustration. "Naydee... hethy snoothie? Nnnnk...." They tilted their legs side-to-side, swinging their body with the movement as though that would somehow make things more obvious. As much as vegetables weren't a typical part of their diet, a healthy smoothie was at least closer to a meal than soda or alcohol.

Like the self-centred adolescent they were, Kit was too focused on the drinks to even notice Blacklight approach. Therefore, the three-legged extraterrestrial completely missed the wave. Their ears did twitch however at the sound of his approach, but until the drink situation was solved, their eyes were fixed on the coolers.

Patches didn't seem to understand the words beyond Kit's speech impediment. Then again, Patches was never that smart. However, the one word they managed to pronounce perfectly gave Patches the idea... sort of.

"Ohhhh, foooood!" Patches cried, tugging their string. "There's no food in the cooooler."

Their free hand curled around a can of soda, much like a cobra, before they held it up. "Thiiiis is a drink!"

So, Kit wanted food... that they could drink? Patches' stuffing-filled head could not seem to comprehend that, so instead they decided to look for normal food. A single, soulless eye scanned the beach, in search of something edible. The bright, purple bonfire caught their attention, and noticed that nearby, there was a refreshment table. Popcorn, marshmallows, and meaty skewers were displayed on the table, ripe for the taking.

"Over theeeere!" The ragdoll cried out, wandering over to the table. Low and behold, there was indeed some food to eat. And unknowingly, Patches had led Kit towards food that was of the protein variety: the skewers!

Patches rached up and placed the can of soda on the table for Kit, not knowing they probably wouldn't be interested in drinking it. "Heeeere you goooo," Patches looked up at them with a smile. "Food annnnnnd drink!"

Feeling satisfied with their sudden 'accomplishments', Patches once again stumbled away, back towards Cris particularly.