Private Zann's Alley/Backyard Unsmudgables Night at the Museum

[Liza Fairpaw]

The Niceties museum in Zann's Backyard was closed for visitors, but lights still shone from the windows in the back halls of the building as the Unsmudgables prepared to welcome their newest initiates who had joined the ranks since the year had begun anew. While the Smudgies had a reputation for many things, they prided themselves the most in their reputation for throwing some of the best parties in Bully, and this gathering was no exception.

A buffet table laden with all the finest delicacies stretched through the center of the room. Various displays of art and items from far-away lands lined the edges of the hall, illuminated with directed lantern light. A group of musicians, all Unsmudgables of various types, played lively music at the far end of the hall in front of a dance floor. A full bar doled out drinks and other substances of any kind imaginable, and despite that the night was yet young, more than a few pawfuls of beasts were well on their way to having a very Good Time.

Veterans of the Faction mingled with those recently joined, sharing stories and making the newcomers feel welcomed. Though many of the initiates had already been working in the field for several months, this was their first large event with the Unsmudgables, and they had been informed it was necessary for them to attend to be properly initiated as full members.

Liza stood at the bar, waiting for her drink. She scanned the crowd, already a warm buzz settled upon her from the cloudweed pipe she had taken a pull from a few minutes prior.

 

[Marble]

These events always made Miothiyle a little unsure of herself, having to dress up nicely and figuring out how to socialize was not something that she was well equiped to do. What was worse about this event was how little in common she had with the people here and how green she was to this group, and part of her didn't want to be noticed. Part of her was worried that people would only really be interested in her as an oddity, perhaps as an exhibit herself.

So she would sneak away from the main group for a moment and start looking over the art and items, whilst she still couldn't read so well it was interesting seeing all the items from long ago and far away. There were bits and pieces that she recognised, either from her culture or those nearby that her people would often trade with. Making a promise to herself to visit in the future to see all of the exhibits.

After making a round of the displays she made her way towards the bar, taking the time to look over the food and considering what she would eat later, taking an olive as she continued on.
"Any red wine? Something sweet if you have it" Leaning on the bar slightly, giving a polite nod to Liza as she waited for her drink as well but too nervouse to strike up a conversation.

 

[Bibby Stout]

The doors of the Niceties museum did not so much open as part, and Bibby stepped through them as though crossing some quiet threshold between worlds.

For a moment, she simply stood there.

Light spilled from hanging lanterns in careful pools across polished floors and glass cases, catching on gilt frames, lacquered surfaces, and the gleam of polished metal. Music drifted from the far end of the hall in bright, lilting strands, weaving through the hum of voices and the soft clink of glassware. The air itself seemed richer somehow, touched with spice and sweetness and something faintly smoky that lingered at the edges of the senses.

It was… everything.

Not overwhelming, not quite. But close enough that she felt it in her chest, a quiet, buoyant lift that made her want to laugh and whisper all at once.

Bibby took a few steps inward, slower now, her attention settling as the initial wonder gave way to something more focused. The displays drew her easily at first, not the polished weapons or the grander pieces that seemed to gather admirers, but the quieter things set just aside from them.

Carved wooden utensils, familiar in their make. The sort of craftsmanship that favored use over ornament, shaped by paws that expected a trusty tool to last a generation.

And there, laid open beneath the glass beside the spoon and fork, was a book.

She leaned slightly, enough to read without crowding the case, her eyes moving across the page with an ease that spoke of long practice. The cover was worn in places, softened by ill-keep and long voyages, but still legible. She had seen it before. It was indeed a copy of 'Woodland Feasts for Famine and Siege', penned by a hedgehog scholar of the Quillsbury Clan.

Stoutstead’s library held one much the same.

Her gaze flicked to the placard.

Contemporary Cookbook written by unknown woodlander mouse.

Bibby’s ears dipped, just slightly.

The book itself told a different story, if one cared to read it. The knowledge within was not contemporary, not by any reasonable stretch, and not mousework either, though she could forgive the latter at a glance given the scuffed and worn binding. The condition alone might blur such details for those less familiar. But the structure of it, the layering of notes, the quiet practicality threaded through each line… this was something older. Something preserved. Certainly not something to be used as a measure of a society’s sophistication.

She let out a small breath through her nose, something just shy of a sigh, her paw lifting briefly as though she might point something out before she thought better of it. No sense beginning the evening by correcting the exhibits.

Instead, she straightened, the moment passing as easily as it had come, and allowed her attention to drift back out into the room.

There were so many beasts.

Conversation overlapped in warm, lively currents, laughter rising and falling beneath the music. Some moved through it all with easy familiarity, as though they had long since learned the rhythm of this place. Others lingered nearer the edges, taking it in at their own pace.

Bibby found herself smiling.

If she was to make sense of any of it, she would need to begin somewhere.

The bar, at least, offered a simple enough starting point.

She made her way toward it with unhurried steps, pausing only briefly to take in the spread of food along the way before continuing on. By the time she reached the counter, a plate of hors d'oeuvres stacked high in her grasp, there were already a pair of beasts waiting there, one settled comfortably into the space, the other carrying a quieter sort of presence beside her.

Bibby did not hesitate.

“A glass of your red, if you please,” she said, her tone light and polite as she placed her request, before turning slightly toward the pair beside her, her expression open and warm, as though continuing a conversation already begun.

“I hope I’m not the only one feeling a little in awe of all this… it’s rather wonderful, isn’t it? I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere quite like it.”

 

[Daniil Ryalor]

Daniil, true to his form at parties, was being a wallflower. He hovered at the back of the room near the buffet, occasionally venturing out for a few chips and little bundles of grapes, but his discomfort with smalltalk kept him away from any of the groups conversing. Unfortunately he was also getting thirsty, and now there were several beasts by the bar - including the commander who had been in charge during his disastrous arrest of Morgan Liu. He debated finding a door and slipping out of the party early, but if he did that, he might as well go find a ship back to Fyador and hide there for the rest of his life. They hadn't dismissed him yet for the mistake, and it wasn't like he had anything else going for him at the moment save for his relationship with Caden, so he might as well make the most of it.

He approached, looking over the drinks on offer as a rackhoon, as he thought they were called (was she the same species as that strange red-furred beast going around the Harbor? He couldn't be sure) made her own order, as well as a remark about the grandeur of the museum.

"It's very nice," Daniil agreed trying to pull loose a grape from its stem. "I especially enjoy the Alkamarian fresco gallery. Say what you will about their politics, but they certainly know how to decorate their walls." He offered a paw, introducing himself as "Daniil Ryalor."

 

[Izakis]

Izakis stepped from behind one of the many curtains covering various nooks and crannies, set to make impromptu private spaces. She stretched fully which resulted in few gasps, whistles and other noises of approval or humour. That is how she realised she was in her birthday suit still. She of course couldn't care. She simply winked and posed for the audience before reaching and taking down the gold laced curtain to use it as a dress. It revealed a group of beasts she left behind it in a state best described as ascended.

Parties as such were Izakis forte. She was thoroughly enjoying herself in every aspect of it. Even if she done so with safety in her mind. Being a professional, she knew exactly how much of each drug, drink and in what intervals she could take to only have fun without much consequence. Staying safe is how she survived all those years after all.

But this party was special. She belonged here. She wasn't paid to be here as an entertainment or as an extra. Even if she before had attended events as such with Smudgies, it was more of a job. Now, she was here as one of them and it felt good.

Her first objective she imposed on herself for the party was to, well, leave no beast behind. If she was to fight and work alongside them, she would by all means ensure each of them knew her well.

And if she were to die? She would be happy knowing at least she would be remembered by all those beasts.

Dancing through the crowd, changing dance partners in mere seconds, she finally got to the bar and buffet. She got herself a sparkling from Stardust citrus tart and happily ate it.

After letting somebeast to kiss her and clean her maw from the remaining zest of the laced tart she moved to the bar and spotted a group of beast that included the one who introduced her to this wonderful life she now had.

"Liza!" She exclaimed over the music and pounce-hugged her. "Long time no ssssee!"

 

[Asta Dalgaard]

The first party of any scale Asta had been to was the fateful gala at the Opera House. She had been reassured more than a pawful of times by the Unsmudgables that this party would most certainly not involve any threats to her life. When she pressed them about particular initiation rituals she had heard about, she was told with great certainty that it was all in good-natured fun and absolutely there would be no risk to her or anybeast else that night. She was just to enjoy herself.

And so she attempted to do just that. In the months since she had joined the Unsmudgables as an initiate, finding her way within the Faction and learning about the various roles she could potentially play, the jill had become more comfortable with herself beyond an extension of Caden in the Imperium. Though the place had yet to feel fully like home, she was making friends of her own and developing her own life outside of that which she shared with her adoptive father. At a party like this, she had the inclination to step in with the musicians and perform, as was her place of comfort, but that was not her duty this evening. They wanted her to have fun and relax. So she found a spot on the dance floor, picking up the steps to the various dances, throwing some of her own steps into the mix, inspired from Varangian folk dances. When she was out of breath and in need of a drink, the jill found her way to the bar where she spotted Daniil.

She blinked as a lizard wrapped in a...curtain(?) threw her arms around a mouse who wore the pin of a Rangeblade adept. Asta scooted herself into the conversation alongside Daniil, taking hold of the todd's arm in a familiar manner in order to steady her own nerves. "What is good to drink here?" she asked nobeast in particular within the group.

---

While Liza waited for her drink, other beasts approached the bar. First the was the vixen she had met at the somewhat disastrous mission in the Trenches. Apparently a recruiting beast had gotten to her in the interim, and while Liza was surprised to see her, she offered the vixen a warm smile. Before she could make conversation, another beast joined them, a strange-looking sort who had a tail that Liza simply needed to touch, and the cloudweed was rapidly reducing her inhibitions by the minute. It would not be long before the mouse asked them, she knew, but for now she held her tongue. No sense scaring away recruits at their first function.

Then came the grey todd. Liza's mood was somewhat soured by him, remembering his poor call and deduction skills that had led to a very messy situation and the deaths of several Smudgies. Yes, all of them knew this was a risk each time they took on a mission, but it really seemed so stupid that an intiate had been trusted in such a way. She had had strong words with Rory about allowing that mistake to play out. Where was that damn otter, anyway? Liza began to scan the crowd when suddenly she was struck by Izakis.

"Hello, Izakis," Liza said with a chuckle, giving the skink a friendly peck on the cheek. "I see you're trying out the drapes. I do hope they're up to standard."

The barkeep returned with all their respective drinks. He took a pull on a cloudweed pipe in his mouth, then offered it to the group as he blew out a billowing cloud of smoke. "Anybeast want a pull?"

 

[Lorcan Rainclaw]

Lorcan wasn’t the sort of beast to be shy in any respect: at his stature it was practically difficult to melt into the background unobtrusively, and he had never been one to shy from a conversation. Socialising was a thrill for the todd considering his lack of experience, and when the invitation had arrived to attend an Unsmudgeables event after having expressed interest in the faction…well, he could hardly turn down the opportunity even if he got list three times trying to find the damn building.

It became immediately apparent, however, that the scene would prove overwhelming to a creature still new to the Imperium. His largest celebrations prior had been cosy mealtimes aboard the Hide, most buildings of a smaller scale and less grandiose in terms of architecture. The contents of the museum were likely precious beyond his comprehension and the acoustics alone were something new to contend with. That was not to speak of the sheer numbers of attendees and all they were indulging in. It wasn’t for lack of enthusiasm, but Lorcan just didn’t even know where to begin. His ears set back at just enough of an angle to betray the discomfort.

There had to be something. Dark eyes scanned the room, alighting at last upon the buffet table. Food was good. Food was familiar. He’d not look as out of place as he felt if he was occupied with putting away a few delicacies. Gradually he began working his way towards the tables, spotting several unique-looking beasts (by Bully’s standards, at least: Kutoroka was rife with enough local diversity that it did not raise his eyebrows) and, on a squint, Daniil. He was related, if memory from the festival served. Thank ‘Gates, a familiar face. The relief he felt caught Lorcan by surprise; rankled somewhat to realise how much adjusting there was still to manage.

This was not a night for sour moods, however: the atmosphere, as heavily as it weighed upon his senses, was a joyous one. He had always found such to be infectious. Lorcan’s meandering path led the fox towards the small gathering, nose atwitch at the fragrant smoke – tempting, but the night was young yet and so he declined – and flashed a quick smile at the beasts. “Hope you don’t mind me tagging along,” he said. “This is all rather new to me. Do…do most of you already know one another? I know ol' Daniil here - hey, mate - but not Unsmudgeable-wise, if that makes sense.”

 

[Izakis]

Izakis giggled at the peck and returned one to Liza's forehead. Then she draped herself over the mouse, and gave a little nod (and touch of her tail) to every beast around to greet them before speaking to Liza again. "Not my usual wear, it's good, though I would prefer ssssomething lighter... but I am ssssure not everyone is yet ready to take me on au naturel..."

As the mouse pulled the pipe further and offered it, Izakis gently put a claw on it and moved it away from herself. "Thanks darling but I don't mix drugs. sssStardust I've had will do it for a while." She then looked at the others with mischievous smile as she got an idea. She pulled the pipe back, took a long inhale, skilfully keeping the sweet tasting smoke away from her lungs and blew it softly at the racoon.

After a small chuckle she spoke, with little streams of smoke leaving corners of her mouth. "But I think everyone else sssshould have it. You will have plenty of fun, I assure you all."

 

[Bibby Stout]

Bibby had only just begun to settle into the gentle rhythm of conversation when the name was offered, and with it, a quiet spark of recognition.

Ryalor.

It did not show upon her face beyond a flicker of interest, but the name settled easily into place among all she had read since making landfall. The Imperium’s history, its families, its figures of quiet and not-so-quiet importance… she had taken to them with the same steady curiosity she brought to everything else. And yet, standing here now, she found it far easier to treat him simply as he was in the moment: another beast at the bar, speaking kindly of painted walls.

“Bibby Stout,” she returned warmly, shifting her plate slightly in one paw so she might offer the other in greeting.
“I’ve only just arrived in the Imperium myself, so I’m afraid I’ve not yet seen that gallery… but I should very much like to.”

There was no hesitation in the way she continued, her tone bright with genuine interest.

“If you were willing, I’d be grateful for the company. I suspect I’d understand it far better with somebeast to guide me through what I’m looking at.”

A small smile touched her muzzle then, softening the earnestness just enough.

“I’m still finding my footing with all of this… the Imperium, I mean. And Alkamarian culture all the more so.”

The words had barely settled between them when the energy suddenly shifted.

It did not announce itself so much as arrive, bright and unapologetic.

Bibby’s attention was drawn first by motion, then by sound, and then, quite abruptly, by the unmistakable realization that the skink who had just swept into the space was, until very recently, wearing nothing at all!

The curtain, at least, had been arranged with a certain cleverness, but it did little to soften the impression left behind. That alone might have been enough to give her pause.

It was not.

The kiss, casual and unhidden, landed far sharper.

Bibby’s breath caught, not in offense shouted outward, but in something quieter, more instinctive. A warmth rose behind her ears as her gaze flicked away for a fraction of a second before she willed it steady again. Such things were not unknown to her, no… but they belonged to private corners, to moments not shared so freely beneath lantern light and open company.

And then came the smoke.

It brushed her muzzle before she could turn, sweet for the briefest instant before shifting into something sharper, heavier, chemical, and wrong in a way that set her instincts on edge. Bibby recoiled despite herself, a small turn of her head, a breath held and released through her nose as though to clear it away.

That was NOT just cloudweed.

Or if it was, it had been… changed into something else entirely.

For a heartbeat, she simply stood there, the world tilting ever so slightly as she tried to reconcile the warmth of the gathering with the sudden, jarring sense that she had stepped into something far looser, far less restrained than anything she had known before.

This would never have been permitted in Stoutstead.

The thought came and settled, not as condemnation of those around her, but as a quiet, grounding thrill mixed with fear of the unknown. She couldn't wait to tell Marlow!

Bibby drew in a slow breath, smoothing the moment over as gently as one might press a wrinkle from cloth, and turned just slightly toward the vixen beside her. The huntress whose quiet presence had not been swept up in the same current of excess.

She leaned in just enough for her voice to soften, a small, conspiratorial smile returning to her features.

“Didn’t know it'd be that type of party… Please tell me I’m not alone in finding this… a bit much.”

At that moment, the barkeep offered Bibby the pipe, smelling of something else taboo, but much more familiar to her senses.

Bibby hesitated only a moment before accepting it.

Her grip was light, her breath measured as she took a small, careful pull, nothing like the indulgence on display around her. The familiar note of it settled far more kindly than what had been blown her way moments before.

And with it came memory.

The quiet stretch of shoreline, the sky stretching wide and jeweled overhead. Marlow beside her with a small wad of exotic herbs. The world reduced to soft conversation and shared silence, the smoke curling lazily into the night without spectacle or expectation.

Bibby let the breath ease from her, the tension in her shoulders loosening just enough.

She was still herself.

The noise of the room returned, but it no longer pressed quite so close.

Turning back toward Daniil, she gathered that earlier thread of conversation with gentle ease, her composure restored, her smile once more steady.

“You mentioned the fresco gallery,” she said, tone light but sincere. “I should hate to miss it properly, if there’s something in particular one ought to look for.”

Her gaze shifted briefly to the vixen at her side.

“Perhaps we might all have a look together?”

@Daniil Ryalor @Marble @Izakis

 

[Marble]

Evidently company had come to find her, thanking the barkeep as she took her wine and they would pour for the Racoon at the same time. Turning to admire the strange creature and offering a smile as she responded to the open question from her.
"It would be hard to find a better collection of stories and trinkets. I do admire the preservation of such arts and am very curious about how others live outside of my home." Her voice had an almost melodic sway, evidently she was not from around here. "The simple things are often what make us more than the grand and impressive monuments." Leaning with her back against the counter as she sipped her wine and devoured another olive as both Daniil and Izakis arrived.
"Gallery?" tilting her head quizzically "I don't believe I am familiar with that word my friend. Is it a room to display tapestries by chance?" Taking a guess at the context clues and not being far off.​

As for the Skink Miothiyle was not at all phased by her appearance with the light makeshift dress, nor with how 'free' she was being, that said she didn't notice her being naked a few moments earlier. For now her attention was on the third and forth person that had joined the now growing group.
"Yes feel free to join us. I am Miothiyle of Thermodon, great huntress of the Emerald Isles" She would relax a little and chuckle at her introduction before taking the offered pipe. "Don't mind if I do" Taking a practiced puff, unfortunately catching the tail end of Izakis' comment about being naked and breathing in too much. Passing back the pipe as she coughed rather violently at the sudden start with her ears back in embarrassment.
"Gods now I feel overdressed, I didn't know it was that sort of party. Umm the sweet wine is rather good if you'd like a sample" Answering Asta and offering a sip from her cup to get the taste. She wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to be for this event, sure she had been to parties back in the Isles but this was a different place so she was unsure how much clothing was appropriate. Perhaps the skink was the exception rather than the rule when it came to this sort of thing.
"I am used to it, but yes I understand how for other places it is strange" Answering Bibby as she processed the question and how best to respond.

Looking over the six that had gathered around her and gathering the flows of conversation for a second.
"I think I would like to see this 'gallery,' take our drinks and take our time, all...." Counting again "Seven of us?"
@Bibby Stout @Lorcan Rainclaw @Izakis @Daniil Ryalor @Liza Fairpaw