(Open) July at Christmas

[Malcolm Green]

Things got real.

Green, true to his Elemental nature has difficulty assessing what is happening before him. Is this actual aggression - or some secret Summer Court handshake? Given what little he knows of the Court of Wrath, it could well be.

He takes a step back, confusion written briefly on his brow. And then it is over, Ramona brushing past him on her way to the drinks. His great body pivots: first to Ramona, then to Peps.

"Uh. Yeah. Good to see you are getting to know one another." Its as close to a mumble as the giant can manage.

He closes on the food. For some reason he can't quite express, he needs to get away from that spot. Food probably. He sets to making himself a plate, Ramona's words echoing in his ears.

[Daniel Leto]

The pale Darkling continued to smile back serenely at the smirk. He wondered if thought she had 'won' the conversation somehow. By choosing a nickname he had given. It wasn't anything he hadn't been called before and he well knew it. And it was better than 'dead guy' or something like that. So he kept smiling and let her have her victory.

Daniel watched the interaction between Peps and Ramona with a little apprehension. While he agreed that the comment was inappropriate, it wasn't too much worse than some things Malroy had said, right? Still he hoped it wouldn't break into a fight. Then again if this was supposed to metaphorically be July, then maybe it would out of principle.

Then came the moment he had been dreading. For a brief moment the smile faltered as conflicting emotions ran through. Then, while some sadness remained, the smile returned.

"Virgin rum and coke actually," he said merrily. He didn't want to be a kill joy but sometimes that seemed his destiny. Hopefully the Ogress would understand.

"Someone has to DD after all." There was a hollowness to the joking tone. "Wouldn't want anyone to get in a car crash and die," he added with a laugh and then a cough when he realized what he had said.

He pushed on the conversation.

"Sorry... anyway... is Marcus going to be coming?" Peps was right after all. There weren't a lot of Spears at this Summer event.

[Malcolm Green]

Green raised his head and casually looked over. His plate was over burdened with food offerings by now; it wasn't like he could find more space on its surface.

"Nothing wrong in planning ahead. Escape plans can always be useful. Someone has to regret something, yeah? Especially if everyone else is having fun. Uh... What beer do you recommend? 'Cause... uh... Someone has to drink all that booze, right?"

[InvertedMonkey]

"Fuck that!" she says as Green brings up the concept of 'regret,' voice companionable and with little heat though. She grins, reaching into one of the boxes and producing a bottle, tossing it to Green. "No regrets tonight! Tonight's about getting smashed and having a good time. Feeling hot and angry and excited and alive. Drink up!" She produces a chilled coke for Daniel too, cracking the can and pouring it into a glass with ice. Then she grabs a bottle of rum, and sets it on the table next to the glass, grinning at the Gravewright. "I'm not gonna force you to drink, Daniel. But c'mon, man. The flyer said to be ready to party hard." Don't make a liar out of me, goes unspoken.

Still, it's his choice. She walks away from the table with the, currently unmixed, rum and coke to let him decide. She pulls another beer out of the box and pops the cap, taking a long pull in response to Daniel's question. "Nah, don't think so. Guess he's busy." Like always. There's a wash of bitterness there. So often she's been feeling like she's in a Court of one. All the more important to show Summer out in force like this. Just look at Peps here. It's working. She smiles and steps back towards the Fairest, "So, Peps is it? I'm glad you found your way here."

[Daniel Leto]

"It's more than just having a safe way home or regrets," he said, though those certainly figured into things. However, he didn't elaborate. It would only drag the mood down further.

Daniel hid the thoughts that came to mind behind an understanding smile. An alleyway spinning in a way that made him want to vomit, the Lady speaking words that even now didn't make sense, the overwhelming guilt he had tried to drink away. All locked behind the darkness of his eyes.

However, beyond those memories, he could still remember how it was to break loss, and he forced a grin back at Ramona "I can party hard," he replied, a mischievous note tugging at the edge of his smirk as a thought occurred to him. He knew what the flyer had said. He could play dangerous and stupid. It just took a different mindset than he had had in years.

"I challenge you to a duel for the right to light the fireworks," he stated pointing to the incendiaries the hobgoblin was guarding. As far bad decisions it was a pretty dumb one. Dueling etiquette said Ramona could choose the contest, and if she settled on anything physical, Daniel was sure to lose. On the other hand, the honor of lighting Summer's middle finger toward Winter was hardly a major issue. The Ogress could decide to make a rash choice of her own and name a contest that might favor the Darkling. The worst that could happen was he'd be knocked unconscious. Maybe first blood if the Stonebones took offense. That was something he could live with. And if Marcus wouldn't be attending, then the least Daniel could do was inject some extra bravado for lack of a missing Crimson courtier.

[Malcolm Green]

"Oh ho! Yeah! That'll hit the spot!" Green chortled as he inspected the bottle Ramona had thrown over. With a twist of mighty fingers, the cap came free and the Elemental slammed the beverage down hard, liquid gurgling and foam flecking his lips.

When he had finished, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Now that was good!"

He lapsed into silence once the challenge was issued. Beer in hand, the mountain watched with impassive curiosity.

[InvertedMonkey]

She laughs, resting one hand on a keg and leaning heavily onto her arm as she grins at him. "You realize I could just make this a drinking contest, right?" She asks mischievously. But no, she's not that cruel. Some people don't drink, sometimes for very good reasons. So after a moment of letting him sweat, she laughs again. "Or I could toss you into the dust. But that wouldn't exactly be a fair fight, now, would it?"

She takes a pull of her beer, and hums softly as she considers. "Alright, here it is; we go dare for dare. I dare you, then you dare me, back and forth until one of us fails or gives up." She nods, smirking, "Only conditions; you have to do what you're daring first, and it has to be within the realm of possibility for the dare-ee. No using glamour to do something they can't, capiche?" Sure, the idea of a dare contest, smacks of college exploits in stupidity, but then again, this is a 'let's get fucked up' party. It was going to be college-y anyway.

Putting down her beer, she strides towards the center of the Hollow, "So for our first act, let's begin with a time-honored tradition." She takes a moment to line herself up with the ramp, then bolts into a run, sprinting towards the bonfire in the middle of the hollow. Her feet make heavy, hollow noises as they solidly smack down on the ramp, her muscles bunch, and then she launches herself into the air, soaring over, and partially through, the flames. She comes down in the grass on the other side with an easy roll, and stands, grinning. "Jump the bonfire!"

Jumping the bonfire is a Strength + Athletics roll that requires you to clear a distance of 15 feet. If your Size is 5, as it is for most people, this means you need 3 successes to do it successfully. The ramp provides a +1 equipment bonus.

If you fail to meet the necessary successes, but acquired any successes at all, you still clear the bonfire but you take 1 bashing damage from getting singed. Note that taking 1 bashing damage during the July at Christmas event is a good thing! If you party hard enough to take at least 1 bashing damage during July at Christmas, Lords of Summer tells us that the next morning you gain a number of points of Glamour equal to the Summer King's mantle! I haven't asked the STs whether or not we'll be using this rule mechanically, but I still think it's a fun theme.

Note for Parable: Ramona's not requiring Daniel to jump the bonfire without taking damage. Just to make a successful jump.

  Jump the Bonfire: 4 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-01-06 12:19:21		Ramona Bohannon rolls 6 to Strength + Athletics + equipment 1 (JaC) (10 Again)		3, 8, 3, 5, 10, 9, 10, 2		4 successes

[Daniel Leto]

"You could," Daniel admitted with an unperturbed expression. It was easy to beat someone in a drink contest when one party didn't drink.

"If you wanted to take the easy way out," he added with a smirk and a bit of challenge in his eyes.

But it seemed wasn't going to take the obvious road. She wasn't going to let him off easy either though. He watched as she cleared the fire pit with even getting her heels hot. Even on his best day, Daniel didn't imagine he'd make it even half as effortlessly as she did. Steeling himself he took his place about ten feet from the ramp. Then holding up his hand in the 'wait' gesture and a smile, he backed up another ten. (For all the good it would do.)

You only live once. he thought then charged recklessly forward.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-01-07 01:24:35		Daniel Leto rolls 2 to Str+Ath-untrained+1 equip (10 Again)		7, 8		1 success

And rolled out the other side smelling like soot and having to put out some sparks that were large enough they burned through some of the denim. He needed new jeans anyway, though he thought he felt some pain around his ankles where some melted nylon might have caused some blistering.

After he had finished his 'graceful' landing he looked up to Ramona with black eyes.

"Not going to let you win that easy."

Now he just had to think of a dare. Which wasn't as easy as he might have expected. Most things that immediately came mind were more contests between two people, rather than single participant challanges. However, as he tried to think of something that didn't involve contracts, an idea struck him about one of the catches he often used.

Daniel smiled as he pulled out the knife Marcus had made and began heating it in the fire for a few seconds. It was allowed to cool a little afterwards, enough so that it wouldn't actually burn. Just needed to be sterile.

"No flinching," he said with a calm smile as he placed the blade to his hand. Then slowly and deliberately drew it across, spilling blood into the bonfire. His kind, happy expression never wavered.

If Ramona doesn't have a knife, she can borrow Daniel's to cut her hand. Or use a thorn from the Hedge to stab it. Make a Composure+Subterfuge roll to not show signs of pain. This will deal 1 point of bashing from blood loss. If she chooses, she can gain +1 on the roll by making the cut shallower. However, then it doesn't bleed and she doesn't take the bashing damage. Another +1 can be gained if she downs a strong drink right before as well

Daniel takes 2 points of bashing.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-01-07 02:12:48		Daniel Leto rolls 5 to Comp+Subterfuge (10 Again)		7, 6, 6, 8, 2		1 success