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

Arduous as the path was to get authorization, papers and beaurocrati leaves to institute an inter-world embassy that safeguarded the rights and offered support to furfolk, anthros, and mutants, the difficulties would not keep Cris Aliprandi from pursuing her goals. Still, she had to acknolwedge that those goals were neither easy nor immediate.

But even so, there were others way she could promote awareness of the project, reach out for fur-folk who might be unfamiliar with her efforts, and encourage knowlege, support and the building of ties between anthros from different corner of the known worlds - and allies, supporters and people who believed in those very same goals, no matter their heritage or appearance. After all, equality was all about breaking down the invisible walls that separated people!

For all these reasons she had set out in earnest to organize a bonfire event, and it had been a handful! An eerily beautiful beach, the sand sparkling a bright blue against the crimson sunset, had been rented for the occasions. There were camping chair, wood logs, little foldable benches that would hopefully suit all kind of visitors, be they multiple-legged, tailed, or more ordinary looking. The bonfire had been lit, and glowing dark purple flames stirred against the lavish sunset. As she finished making sure that there were enough extra chairs and refreshments - popcorns, marshmallows, and a vast assortment of skewers to roast over the fire - Cris threw a doubtful look to the fancy digital radio and amplifiers that was supposed to provide music.

Perhaps it wouldn't break halfway through the event, though with her track records when it came to technology, she couldn't write it out. She had got a second, spare set just to be on the safe side, but you never knew... Maybe someone of the guest will be sufficiently into music to play or sing something, if worse comes to worse, she told herself.

At the very least the promoting had gone smoothly enough, in no small part because she had asked the help of her Artificial Intelligence friends. Banners advertising the event had gone up all over the 'Net, together with social advertiing and some holographic billboards. As for transports, she had signed a deal with a little shuttle service that had been only too happy to lend their fleet. Guests who wanted to attend just had to ring up the ID in the banners and social pages, and wait for their driver to pick them up; by the end of the bonfire, or whenever they wanted to drop out, they would be driven back just as promptly.

Glancing up at the sky, with its caleidoscope of colors, the masked woman drew a sigh. Everything was ready, the weather was pleasantly warm but with a little ideal breeze that soared from the - literally - otherwordly silverly-colored sea. Now the waiting game began.

((There we go, I figured I'd try my own Soiree event! Open to anthros, furries, mutants, shifters... or even all other sorts of characters - humans, aliens, robots, cryptids, fantasy creatures, any and all who want to get to befriend and mingle! Everyone is welcome ))

"Patches gonna go find Fox-Friiieeennnd."

One of Patches' bestest of best friends, Cris (whom they affectionately nicknamed 'Fox-Friend' due to the mask the vigilante wore), was apparently hosting a party at the beach today! There'd be a campfire, and food (though Patches could not eat it), and hopefully, lots of games and new friends to play with!

Granted, this bonfire was dedicated to those who were deemed anthropomorphic or mutant in nature. 'Anthropomorphic' was a pretty big word, so Patches had absolutely zero clue as to what it meant. However, Cris has another name for these people: 'Furfolk.' They were folk with fur. Humans didn't have fur, they had hair. Animals had fur. It seemed as if their cotton-stuffed brain of theirs had managed to figure out this party was dedicated to those who were animals.

This occasion called for special outfits!

Fortunately for the little ragdoll, toy stores often sold accessories for dolls. Some of them included animal onesies. While they'd require modifications to fit Patches' unique body shape, they knew what had to be done. All they had to do was remove the sleeves in their entirely, and cut off half the legs of the onesie, making them resemble a pair of shorts. Patches had slipped on their new, white rabbit onesie and waddled their way down to the beach.

The sunset sure was pretty. It would be bedtime soon. But if the new friends wanted to stay up late, that's fine with Patches! Any time makes for good playtime.

The purple flames acted as a beacon, which drew the ragdoll in. Patches feared fire, but they knew they couldn't be burned up if they didn't go near it. All they had to do was keep their distance, and they'd be okay. Observe, don't touch!

"Fox-Friend, Fox-Friend!" Patches called as they scurried along the sands towards Cris, arms wide open. "Patches found yoooouuuu!"

Hearing a somewhat familiar voice, Cris looked up to see a small white shape running toward her on the sand. Was that...? "Woah! Heyyy, look who's here!" she exclaimed, eyes brightening behind the mask at the sight of the living doll.

For some reason a lot of people found something about Patches unnerving, which still left Cris completely flabbergasted; she had always found the doll to be simply adorable (though then again, a lot of things that people found scary or even just plain dangerous seemed harmless and cute to her). Of course, that was true for Patches in their ordinary appearance, but in a fluffy bunny costume to boot? The adorable factor had just skyrocketed past orbit!

Kneeling to be on the same level as the doll, Cris pulled Patches into a hug. "Be careful to not go near the fire, it's dangerous!", she warned affectionately. "I missed you, how have you been? And where did you get this costume, don't tell me you made it yourself? It's so precious!" Gently, she straightned the ears a bit. "You're very elegant for this party!"

Patches accepted the hug without a second thought. Their arms were almost long enough to wrap around Cris entirely.

"Patches is doing faaannntastic!" They said, following a sharp tug of their pullstring. "Patches loooves summer. Best time to go outside!"

Indeed, if any time was a good time to go out and play, it was during the summer. It held the perfect weather for just about any occasion. Case in point, bonfires at the beach.

"Patches found these pajamas at the toy store," They continued. "Patches had to take away the sleeves," ..... "So Patches could fit into the pajamas!"

'Twas not an easy task, but one Patches had managed to pull off. They seemed pretty comfy in their onesie.

"Patches hear this party is for fuuuurfolk," They explained. "People have no fur. Animals dooo!"

They stepped back, further showing off their rabbit outfit, namely the ears, which stood upright. "So Patches dressed as a raaabbiiit!"

Amber wasn't the best at anything that didn't have to do with nature, but she saw the notice and asked around if anyone could help her get there. She had fur, she was a fox after all, even though sometimes she enjoyed the human-ish form so she could speak. It was fun.

As she arrived, Amber turned to her regular fox form and walked over slowly trying not to be noticed so she could make sure the place was safe. She wasn't the bravest fox so, better be careful.

Once she got close enough, Amber took a seat on the sand watching the two that were already there greeting each other. Still on her fox form with her tail around her looking around gracefully, although if she was spotted, her tail would start wagging in excitement and her hear flipping back happy to get some attention.

However, for the moment she didn't feel confident enough to change form.

The Questing Beast made his way across the sand dunes and down the small hill but first he’d stand on the top and look out over the scene. A wonderful evening bonfire on the beach, not unusual from his regular place of residence but with one major difference. His beautiful beasty was sure to be here so he dressed for the occasion. A pair of red short shorts and a opaque shawl of reds and oranges over his shoulders. Paired with black, iridescent scales and spotted tan fur, the beast was a head turner and he knew it.

Finally heading down to the beach to mingle he spotted Cris and smiled to her, she seemed busy so it’d be rude to interrupt, he’d wait for Curly. In the meanwhile the small fox caught his attention, head tilted and smirking, the beast swayed his tail idly side to side.

A summer bonfire for hybrids rights? That could be only her idea, and yet even if in the past they had had their own share of disagreements, this time Curly found himself looking foward to the event.

And not only because Yaaz would be there... though if he had to be 100% honest with himself, Yaaz being there was the main reason why he found himself counting days eagerly until the appointed date. His reptile nature naturally liked summer best, and a bonfire sounded like the kind of thing that made both dog and lizard happy.

But it would have been a hollow happiness if his beloved hadn't been there, and this was not just derived from his human donor. Even as a chimera, Curly had always felt like the odd fish out at gatherings - the one who was looked awry because of his unusual appearance, sometimes even avoided... until he had met Yaaz's beautiful eyes and the world had come to a standstill. He made him feel accepted for who he was, loved and valued for who he was. And that alone filled his heart with a happiness that no summer bonfire could equal.

For the occasion, he was wearing a long sarong in colors of iridescent green and warm oranges. As he climbed down his shuttle and thanked the driver with a nodd, he found himself looking eagerly toward the shoreline. Immediately he noticed the gorgeous figure approaching, and his neck frills folded slightly. "I didn't keep you waiting long, did I my dear?", he asked, breaking into a run to throw his arms around the Questing Beast's neck. He hadn't noticed Cris, the weird looking... rabbit plush?.... in her arms, or the little fox just yet.

"I'm glad you could attend, it'll be fun!" Cris was telling Patches, chuckling as the doll explained why they'd dress up for the occasion. "You were close, the party is for furfolk and allies... that's, friends to you, or people who want to become friends. Like me, who only wear a fox mask", she explained. "But the thought of wanting to blend with them so much that you'd make your own costume is perfect, I'm sure everyone will love it!" She booped her mask's tip affectionately beteeen the bunny ears and carefully hauled patches over her left shoulder, much like she did with Reyn and Chiara when they were hold enough to stand upright. "Hold on, let's go meet the other guests!" she said, one arm still wrapped around the doll to make sure Patches didn't fall over.

Looking toward the people who were arriving, her eyes smiled behind the mask at the sight of yet two more familiar faces. Even if she and Curly had once been... not exactly love rivals, but enticed by more than not just her Shadow's abs, now that the chimera had found happiness with Yaaz she couldn't help but quietly gush over how head-over-heels for each other the couple was. "Guys! It's great to see you here!" she greeted them, walking over still with Patches over her shoulder. "This is my assistant, Patches Hopps! You didn't have troubles fining the place, I hope? It's going to be fun..." And they weren't the only guests either! A shy looking fox had sat some distance from them and was looking around.

"Woohoo, a fellow kitsune! From my neck of the woods, heh?" she chuckled, the eyes behind her fox-liike mask soft as she smiled at Amber. "Welcome, welcome! My name's Cris, and yours?" She gave a quick glance to the bonfire to make sure no embers rolled out, and smiled at the boys. "Don't you just stand there, have a seat too! Like I was saying, we're going to roast stuff and there'll be music and beach games and... I also have brought a projector for holo-fireworks", she nodded toward a metal cylinder near the speakers. "Figured it'd be better than real fireworks, you know - without the noise 'n all, just the pretty colors..." After all, a lot of anthros and furfolks had sensitive hearing when it came to loud noises, and she wanted everyone to be comfortable and enjoy the party as much as possible!

Aquila walked hesitantly towards the beach, hearing the chattering of people who were already attending the event there. He was visibly nervous, and that was rare for him. He almost always had self-confidence, but today, well... It was because of the nature of this event, and of himself, too. Aquila was not technically one who could be categorized as 'furfolk' or 'anthro', but he was a shifter of sorts. Magical alterations enabled his human body to transform into a gryphon at will. This was always something he had hidden, mainly out of fear of how others would react. That, and he didn't like to think about the events that had lead to him gaining this ability. The magical experimentation was something he had never agreed to, and he had been a young child when it happened. The impact on his mental health was severe, though he was working to get past it and swore to never let others know how much his past haunted him.
All that being said, he was considering just attending this event as an 'ally', pretending to be a typical human who supported the rights of others without truly being involved. Blending in with humans was pretty easy for him, and he knew he was fortunate for that. But then, if the people here seemed to be trustworthy, he might reveal just a bit of his secret nature.
Now, nearing the small group of other guests, Aquila stopped walking. He offered a small wave and a smile, but seeing as they all appeared to be engaged in conversation at the moment, he didn't interupt. Instead, he took some time to look around, taking in the appearances of the others, and the beauty of the beach itself. Trying to hide his anxiousness, he folded his arms over his chest, drawing in a deep breath. His violin case was worn on his back; he had heard there would be music here, so maybe he would be allowed to play something too. And if not, well, he was at least glad to get a bite to eat, and maybe make some new friends.

Patches peered over at the two new guests. One of them looked explicitly like an animal, but they weren't quite sure what. He had the face of a dog, but his neck was all frilly and green, so was his tail. Dogs don't have frilly necks.

The second one looked a bit more human, but he had hooves and a fluffy tail. Patches found themself absolutely mesmerized by the iridescent scales covering Yaaz's face and chest. Regardless of how much his face looked human, Patches thought his scales were very pretty.

Patches wasn't one to judge a new friend by how they looked. Patches looked a bit funny, too. They were missing an eye, and while they looked human, their hands just barely resembled paws. Regardless of how everyone looked, a friend was a friend.

"Helloooo, new friennnds!" Patches waved with their open hand, still perching on Cris' shoulder. "How are you doing todaaaay?"

They quickly shot a glance at the other guests. More furry friends were showing up! How exciting!

Yet more people were showing up! Cris caught sight of a boy waving shyly their way; he had a violin case across his back. "Heyyy, greetings!" she exclaimed, beckoning for him to join them if they wished. He looked like an ordinary human being, but there was no writing out that he could be something else; werewolf, shapeshifter, mage in disguise... or really just one of the many people who, like her, believed that differences were only in the eyes of the beholder and that furfolks and humans were and should be equals. The thought filled her heart with hope! If more and more people shared her view, perhaps some day the embassy she dreamed would be a thing, and not just a flight of fancy.

"Welcome! Oh, don't tell me - you're a musician?" Behind the fox mask, her eyes lit up. "You could be our savior if the music system should give up midway! And live music has that something else, you know?" Yet as her eyes fell on the violin, a look briefly passed in them... almost a wistful note. She still had Shadow's old violin at home... she didn't know how to play it herself, and her children were still too young for the study of music, but she could never bring herself to throw it away.

He would be happy - no, proud of what you're doing, she reminded herself, shaking the momentary sadness off.

Aquila stepped a little closer, so that he was part of the group rather than on the edge of it. He nodded in resfonse to Cris, smiling slightly. "I've been playing for years, so I'm pretty competent, I think. I'd be happy to play something tonight, if anyone wants to hear it," He said, his voice quiet but unmistakably cheerful. His anxiety had already been eased, even if just by a small amount, by the welcoming atmosphere.
"It's nice to meet you all," He added, raising his voice slightly to address the group as a whole. "My name's Aquila, by the way."

From the lifeless, bonfire-lacking abyss of space, a rickety old ship emerges. Too shabby to be called humble, with a shell of rusted metal plates that were splattered with a certain scrappy ruffian's graffiti, it descended upon Light Raygun's cozy get-together like a junk-meteor upon an untouched rainforest. Hadn't it been for its presumed recognizability to Cris, it would've paled away in comparison to the shuttle service she'd ordered for the majority of her guests- there was no mistake to be had, today the Rustbucket had arrived not as a herald of trouble, but support to a noble cause. Some of its inhabitants were beast-like, yes, and although only one of them actually had fur - albeit for short and very random amounts of time -, they had plenty of reason to be present. After all, Randle, Sprite, Artie and Zero sure considered themselves to be good pals of the beloved host! "Chillin' an' boozin', here we come!" Sprite whooped as the Rustbucket touched ground level with a near-deafening mechanical groan. "An' promise on all m'comic books, Rando, it won' go like last time, 'kay? W'got prime company now, so I don' have any reason to drink m'self into hairy mode anyway." As the engines slowly descended into their slumber, a chuckle from the cockpit was fired back at her. Randle, clueless co-pilot and detective extraordinaire, had sure suffered his overdoses of Sprite-related shenanigans over the years, and knew these reassuring speeches of hers all too well. "Like heck ya will, kid. I'm willing to bet that our vigilante friend here might've lured over some pretty influencial friends for this one- you know, it being a Furfolk Alliance-related soiree and all that." In the pilot's seat, the fiery-tufted Artie scoffed. "Like that ever stopped ye before, Rando." "Hey, there's no need to-" All were silenced by a shaky and pseudo-confident call from the bathroom. "OKAY GUYS- I'M UHH, I'M READY NOW-" Lil' Zero, the youngest member of the quartet of misfits, had emerged from his embarassed refuge with an enormous bandaid on his cheek. Having moved over to the ship's exit, the other three stared at him in silence. Don't ask. "Eyy, don' worry Z-man, w'll make 'tis a party t'remember! We, uhh, w'goin'?" And at very darn last, the ship's ramp lowered. "Heya, Cris!" Randle waved as his posse and him approached the bonfire. Much to their - happy - surprise, a lot of interesting figures'd appeared at the event. A duo of lovey-dovey hybrid-like creatures nuzzlin' on the shoreline, a tiny woman with a fox-like attributes, a musically-inclined boy with sunbleached locks and, of course, the woman of the hour with a very funky-lookin' plushy on her shoulder. Good ol' Raygun. "Cool company y'got, my guy!" Sprite grinned, running ahead to offer Cris a fist-bump. "That ol' stinky bastard'o a Burto around?" A pestering hand slid around her hip as Artie joined her in the group; "Geez, first time ye see her in a while and that's the first thing ye ask?" Any accusations of snark were disproved by a playful nudge in Sprite's side. "Nice to see ye, Cris. Thanks fer havin' us!" In the meantime, Randle'd found his eyes wandering off to Cris's rather fascinating patchwork of a pirate's parrot.. or rabbit, rather. The anti-Magick in his gut was astir was tingling- something was up with that puppet. Something suspicious..

Kt-tk was not one for beaches. But curiosity so often overrode such opinions. Big fires often meant lots of people. Maybe a party. Kit liked parties.

The three-legged arachnoid skittered closer, chittering away to themselves in their native insect-like language. They stopped on the outskirts of the gathering and watched for a moment, head tilted to one side, one cat-like ear flattened down, pedipalps rubbing together.

Well it was certainly an interesting gathering of individuals. One of them looked like a walking toy, an animal, some sort of humanoid beast-legged thing, a... bipedal dog-lizard....? A human, a gaggle of fresh arrivals and of course the host herself. At the very least, Kit wouldn't look out of place here... though they were still entirely unsure just what 'here' was. Maybe if they simply strolled up as though they belonged here, nobody would mind...?

And so Kit boldly headed in, trying to appear as though they belonged, eyes scanning the party infrastructure with curiosity, wondering if there was any food here that would suit their lack of chewing ability. They stopped by the focal point of the gathering in a bid to catch the gist of exactly what was going on here, waving to anyone who was looking at them with one of their large three-fingered mitts, eight eyes taking in every detail within eye-line all at once with equal focus.

Patches absolutely marveled at the sight. SO. MANY. FRIENDS. And all in one place!

"Wooooow!" Patches couldn't help but leap down from Cris' hold just to say hello to everyone. Not all of them were furry, but a lot of them were, and Patches wanted to learn about all of them!

Patches noticed a fox who looked rather shy. Patches waddled over with great haste, just to greet Amber with a mighty "Hellooooo!" before the rabbit-dressed ragdoll began to repeat this process to every single guest at the bonfire. Their arms were dragging behind them in the sand, as they were zooming about like a toddler who had a bit too much candy to eat.

Patches first ran over to one of the newer guests; Aquila, a boy with a violin. Patches loved music! People who could play music were talented. Patches admired those who were dedicated to their craft. They seemed so happy to do what they do!

"Helloooo, Music-Friend!" Patches had already granted Aquila a nickname. "Patches likes your instrumeeent."

After a brief introduction, Patches quickly waddled away towards the big group of people who had just arrived. Three were people, one of them was a furfolk! He looked like a big kitty.

"Hellooooo, New-Friends!" Patches ran in front of Cris to say hi. As per usual. "How are you all doooiiing?"

Overly-eager to be friends with these people, it seems. They hadn't even known each other for 5 minutes.

"Hello there! And, ah, thanks!" Aquila returned Patches' greeting and compliment, watching the ragdoll zoom around to greet each and every guest. Then his gaze flickered to the group of four who had all arrived together, and his face lit up with curiosity. They seemed like a lively bunch, and would surely be fun to have around. Lastly, he caught site of the spider-cat-like creature, waving to them as well. There certainly were a lot of guests here now, and they were all so unique! It made him happy to see such diverse people having fun, with no judgment for how they looked. Aquila was very curious about where some of them had come from, such as the sentient ragdoll and the spider-cat, but opted to save his questions for later (or for not at all, since he didn't want to be nosy.)
The crowd was a bit overwhelming, so Aquila stepped over to one of the camping chairs that had been set out on the beach. He removed the violin case from his back, placing it gently on the ground before taking a seat on the chair. He leaned back slightly, a soft smile on his face as he revelled in the friendly and positive aura of the gathering.

"Yes, it would be great to have some live music--" Cris began, and couldn't refrain from chuckling when Patches seconded the idea with their typical enthusiasm. Noticing that Aquila seemed more at ease, she smiled with her eyes. "You say that and we've not even just begun! Aquila, like the eagle? It's a cool name! Make yourself at home" she offered, gesturing toward the scattered seats available for guests.

And yet more guests were showing up! At the sight of the Rustubucket's crew, the smile in her eyes grew all the brighter and she rushed to greet them. "Hey! You guys could made it, it's great!" Returning Sprite's fist-bump, she also looked around half-expecting to see Burt's fuzz and hear his louder-than-polite voice bellowing about booze. "He hasn't arrived yet, but people are just coming in, perhaps he's met traffic on the way with the shuttles... you don't think he could be so drunk to have forgot the day or time, right?", she suddenly asked, concerned at the thought of the fiery tempered wolverine showing up after everyone had left and the rhum was gone. "Maybe try pinging him on his comm? Aw, Art - it's me who should be thanking you guys for showing up!" she assured Artie, before adding as a little joke: "Just promise you won't try to drown me if I accidentally kill any of the tech I have here... because I didn't do it on purpose! Wait -- Zero, are you okay? What have you done to your..." She pointed to the cheek of her mask, clearly worried about the band-aid. Mother radar kicking in, anyone? Well with two kids young and rambuctious as Chiara and Reyn, it was no surprise she had a keen eye for suspicious bruises!

Noticing that Randle seemed interested in the other guests, but misreading his expression because who could be worried about Patches, she beamed proudly up at the tall feline detective. "Quite a great mix so far, huh? I couldn't believe it myself... this tells me I'm fighting for the right cause, and something good can come out of it all! Oh, look, more people... I should start getting the drinks and food for everyone. Go take your seats, don't worry, I'll see to it" she said to her group of friends before moving over to greet a rather unique-looking creature who had joined them! Though Kit had only three legs, the eyes and their facial features were arachnid, mixed with some humanoid and even feline traits. Too bad Amu isn't here, she thought. A staring contest between them would be something! For some reason, they reminded Cris of her late, beloved spider friend, Biff. A sign, or just a coincidence?, she found herself wondering with a small smile.

"Hi, welcome!", she said, noticing that Kit seemed to be eyeing the food area curiously. They must be hungry! "I'm the host, you can call me Cris. Would you like something to drink?" SHe was already making note of the beverages she knew - beer for Artie and Sprite, of course, and soda or fruit juice for Zero. Too bad that Patches and Randle couldn't partake in the refrehments, though!

Kit's fangs twitched when they were addressed. "He-o," they gurgled barely coherently. "C... Ci... Cu..." Their fangs shifted around trying to manipulate their lower mouth flap to a shape to create the sound they wanted. In the end, they settled for the closest they could manage. "Cish," they said. "I am..." They followed up with a number of clicks that seemed to come from somewhere in their throat, vaguely resembling the collection of consonants 'Kt-tk Tktchi'chkt'. "Ah..." they repeated the 'Kt-tk' part as if to suggest that was their given name - or a shortened form of said name. And offered no easier-to-pronounce alternative.

"Dink...? Esh. I ud ike a dink," they said slowly as though managing as much was difficult enough. They had to concentrate hard on every syllable and even had to correct a couple of them mid-vocalisation. "Thank ou." They hopped up and down on the sport making a purring sound. They were quite excited about being accepted into the gathering - even though they still didn't know what it was for - despite the fact that their vocal tone was... perhaps not so much flat and monotonous as strained and focused. That was if one could apply human ideas of tone to a series of barely-coherent gurgles. "I ike potein," they added, raising a finger matter-of-factly. They lacked a tongue to taste with, and thus favoured nourishment over flavour. Whilst they had a rudimentary sense of taste in their fangs, it was primarily to avoid spoiled meat and other toxins.

Kit followed up with a series of chitters in their own language, mostly talking to themselves excitedly. To the unaware, it just sounded like a bunch of excited noises.

Waited a short while before turning around to the sound of some sort of mechanical..creature? he frowned at the shuttle but was then quickly distracted by a most gorgeous sight in green and orange. He’d wait by the bonfire and take aa feet steps to close the gap into Curly’s arms. This was a family event by the looks of it so Yaaz kept his hands on Curly’s waist and no lower, giving him an affectionate kiss on the cheek and a nuzzle. His tail wouldn’t stop swaying side to side and the beast would start to purr quietly. “Not at all my love. How wonderful I get to spend the evening with you.”

Attention was redirected but he’d remain in the same position holding Curly. He’d smile to Cris “Hello my dear, thank you for hosting such a wonderful party, the weather couldn’t be better for it!” The idea of silent fireworks was completely new to him but it sounded like an amazing invention, he was reminded that Curly came from a realm with much higher technological advances than he did.

Another was soon to arrive that wasn’t missed by the questing beast, some sort of human bard? No, this one had a scent of magic with him so either possibly something non human or not a bard. Either way he wasn’t going to intrude as something else stole his attention, a small child? no…a doll? “Hello little one.” he smiled but then they were running off to greet more!

Then some great big metallic monster came out of the sky, while not completely scared of it Yaaz held Curly just a tad closer than before as he watched it land. A group of four came out, again they smelled very strange but seemed harmless enough, if a bit rowdy. Finally, some sort of spider, feline, hybrid? he had no idea but watched as they tried to communicate with Cris “My dear if you wish I could cast a spell to allow for telepathic communication?” he called out while holding onto his favourite boy.

Well, goodness be damned, the puppet could talk! Whereas Sprite and Artie were too occupied talking to Cris and taking in their surroundings - with Zero cowered in-between them hoping no one would see the humongous blunder on his face -, Randle was instantly fascinated by this somewhat kindred spirit. A man-made object, a reflection of life, animated by powers beyond most people's understanding. Wasn't that somethin'. "Huh, I take it your more than just a cheap automaton, aren't ya?" he grinned, bowing down on a knee to extend his hand towards the doll. "It's good to see folks like me out here. Name's Randle, Randle Pentecost." From the corner of his eye, he also saw a new figure enter the scene: a dwarf-sized arachnid, shyly chattering away. Interesting, they certainly reminded him of an old client- except that said client'd been pale white and so large that they couldn't fit inside most spaceships. Artie's chuckle brought him back to the initial meet'n'greet. "Well, fer starters, A can tell ye that I won't be messing with any water if A ever want to see to getting yer gear workin' again. Crashing them is fine, just.. make sure we won't up with a second or third bonfire, aye?" Ah yes, Cris's clumsiness around technology were both a source of anxiety and relief: on the one hand, it was terrifying to be around someone who could somehow turn a toaster into a technohazard - by ways of speaking.. -, but on the other it was a breath of fresh air to have that same someone drew Artie's attention away from how astrociously bad he was with tech. "Oh- ohh, this? Uh, I uh, ate a super sharp apple the other day! Yeah, uh, it gave me a mean cut on my cheek, so, em. Yeah. It's fine though!" Zero blurted back, his eyes wide and his partially covered-up cheeks red with embarassment. Sprite smirked and give her buddy a lil' elbow to his arm. "Eyy, don' worry, Z-Z, she still recognizes y', doesn' she?" He shivered, and pushed her with a nervous chuckle. "Yeah.. luckily." Maybe he wasn't that far gone after all? His voice certainly didn't sound different in his head. There was hope after all. "Eyy but anyway- thanks 'gain, Cris. W'll sit our asses down, don' wanna distract y'from the new arrivals, ey?" As they wandered closer to the fire, Randle added in reassurance: "And holler if ya need a hand, alright? We're not above a little bit of catering work, heh." Free of charge, of course. The happy four man band each grabbed a comfy fireside chair and flopped down next to each other, nestled together cozily enough but with plenty of room to reach out to the others guests and start some chats. Artie wasn't really one to do so, so she sat back and rested her head on her hands, but both Randle and Sprite immediately looked around the place to start some chats, although the latter did so with one leg over the armrest of her chair and one arm around Art's shoulder. Once again, the boy with the case on his back caught their eye. "So, uhh, whatcha got in 'tere?" Sprite asked Aquila, nodding her head at his bag. Meanwhile, Zero sat on his chair with his feet below him and his chin resting on her knees, vaguely staring into the distance, but eventually landing on the lovey-dovey hybrid duo nearby. He sensed a tremendously strong magickal essence within the sparkly black one, and gave the guy a little smile if he was to look back. Cool. He wondered what tricks he could do!