singillatim | Hot Potato (party log)

Hot Potato (party log)

Who: Chloe Frazer & any and all party people!!
What: Harvest Celebrations/Halloween Party/Ruby’s Birthday/Rat Marriage/Big Communal Cooking Party so Chloe doesn't burn down her house
When: October 12
Where: At Chloe’s house on Greene Street

Content Warnings: Food descriptions, probably.
Other Notes: Feel free to make this a mingle and reply to other characters!

Chloe had wondered whether to go through with the harvest party once Lalo had disappeared, but as they say, the show must go on. There's still a lot worth celebrating, and people need something hopeful after the mess last month. Luckily her house had made it through everything all right.

The poster had said to wear a costume, so she's hoping to see a lot of those, and she’d recruited some people to help her put together the menu exactly to Lalo’s specifications, so unfortunately no one is safe from British Potatoes. There are even candles for the birthday cake.

Chloe herself is dressed as a sexy lumberjack, with one of Lalo’s old flannels tied in a knot under her breasts and denim cutoffs made from the jeans Kostya had gotten blood on (shh). She's got a fire roaring, because otherwise she’d freeze.

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It growled a bit when I first saw it, which is to be expected as it was feeding. Once it recognized me, it was almost docile. It nearly fell asleep in my hand.

[ Honestly, that's all very creepy, but yet.... the best possible outcome. Isn't it? It knows her, it (hopefully) won't hurt her.

Konstantin frowns for a moment as he thinks on it. ]

I suppose this is... good news, then. Or something like it. Maybe that idea of yours to train it sometime really will work.

But... are you all right? Interacting so closely with something so disgusting...

I was able to encourage it to perform certain behaviours if there was incentive, so I believe that it can be trained.

[She lowers her eyes.]

To be honest, I mostly felt guilty for encouraging it to… return to you. I know this isn't what you want.

[ Konstantin looks back up at her, brows lifting in surprise. ]

Ah — that isn't something you need to feel any guilt for. You didn't ask for any of that to happen. And... I owe you a great deal for it.

[ He nods with a smile (which makes his stupid eyestalks wobble around.) ]

I don't want to be the reason you feel down at a party, after all! Especially not when I've heard through the grapevine that you can be quite the wild one when you want to be.

[ He winks at her. As if Randvi would know at all what he's referring to... ]

[Randvi blinks, though the ridiculous movements of his costume do make her smile a bit.]

I'm not sure what you mean…?

[ Konstantin is all too happy to shift the focus from Disheartening and Disgusting Worm Things and to this, instead. With all the various harrowing events as of late, he hadn't had the chance to bring up the fact he'd encountered Randvi when she was just a girl... ]

Do you remember an old woman who gave you tea, out in the woods? A few months ago. Apparently it did something to people here, affected them temporarily. When I found you out there, you had become nineteen years old, and you informed me of some colourful stories of your past. [ He grins brightly. ]

[Randvi’s eye widens, caught off guard.]

Is that what happened? I awoke with my bandage missing and my hair in disarray, but I did not know why.

[Had it temporarily restored her face? What a strange thought.]

Gods… nineteen. That was before the war. What did I say?

You didn't recognise me at all. I was a little worried you might beat me up at first; you seemed very tough. [ He laughs. ]

We got to talking about marriage and settling down. You seemed very opposed — rather have fun partying with people in the watch tower instead. [ He lowers his voice almost conspiratorially, and winks. ] I didn't know you had so many party days in your youth! I'll have to work harder to catch up!

[Randvi’s face flushes again - she can only imagine what that little beast must have said to him - but she laughs, too.]

I was so rowdy back then. I'm the youngest daughter, so I had no real responsibilities.

[ He feels a little bad for flustering her, but this is so charming! Konstantin grins like they're best friends, giving the poor woman another little nudge with his elbow, brows lifting knowingly. ]

Rowdy is a fun word. And there are so many beautiful people in the world, why limit yourself when you don't have to, right?

[Randvi covers her face with her hands.]

Gods. Did I say that?

[She can't deny that it sounds like something she would have said.]

[ Poor Randvi! She doesn't deserve this! Konstantin laughs again, leaning in a little as if to try and see her through her own fingers, looking absolutely delighted. She's so cute, and he's horrible. ]

If I remember correctly, you called yourself an expert on beautiful people, actually.

[ He doesn't explicitly say "women" yet, although "beautiful" as a descriptor might make that pretty obvious. ]

Clearly I should have been coming to you this whole time for advice!

An expert! [Randvi groans, though she has to admit this is a time she looks back on fondly.] I thought I knew everything in the world.

It's okay, I'm pretty sure all teenagers are this way. [ Konstantin laughs. ] I was a handful of my own. I think we would have gotten along when we were young. Although we might have argued a little over things like this. I almost wonder if we have the same type!

Type… [Randvi groans again. Her friend Katla is a tough blonde too.] What did I tell you?

You didn't say anything explicitly about it, but... I had the feeling we might've been similar, there.

[ He chooses his words very carefully, eyes sparkling. ]

I've always had a weakness for blondes with bright smiles and a strong attitude.

[She does peek out from behind her fingers now, mortified.]

Am I truly so obvious?

[ Does this clarify it? She's into Svetlana? It does, right??

Konstantin grins again and glances over his shoulder for a quick moment, as though to make sure the doctor in question is nowhere around, or anyone else who might be close enough to hear, for that matter. ]

Don't worry, don't worry, I don't think you're too obvious. It took me a little to realise.

Our lady doctor is very beautiful, isn't she?

[Randvi somehow manages to blush still further, but she does drop her hands down.]

She is, and kind. I suppose I am unused to being treated so gently, like something precious. It was she who treated me after my injury, her hands are the reason that I can still smile today - the scars don't twist my mouth. How can you not fall in love a little bit?

[ Konstantin's playful demeanour softens a bit as he listens to his friend. ]

Ahhhhh, I was thinking I might have been a little biased. She reminds me of someone from my home. Someone I miss. But hearing you speak about her now is a reminder that she really is this special.

[ He is extremely fond of Sveta. She's done so much for him, and— she's become a precious friend. ]

Does she know how you feel?

No. She was lying next to me in my bed and she called me sister… I knew that she would never feel the same way I do.

I've learned from being in England, and now here, that such inclinations are not always seen in the best light by others. I do not wish to push her any further away.

In his own country and specifically time, Konstantin is very aware of how such things can be perceived and damned — they still happen, it just can't be publicly. Even he has some... very strange feelings, regarding his relationship with Vasiliy and how exactly to define it.

But we're not talking about him right now! He is much more on-board to talk about Randvi's situation, though he frowns a little at the reply.

"I understand." He hesitates, before adding with a little smile— "I believe someone has swiped her up, anyway. Our resident constable is truly a threat to us all. But you know, there might be other opportunities."

“Yes,” Randvi sighs. “I try not to look too closely but I have seen them together. At the very least it is a relief to know that she will be treated well.”

How could she have ever hoped to compete with that, even without her injury? Anything that she has here is temporary by necessity. She will need to return home someday and face her duties to her people.

“I suppose I'm fortunate that my younger self met you and not a woman.”

Who knows what kind of mess she’d be cleaning up?

Oof, poor Randvi. Konstantin's heart squeezes a little at that — 'I try not to look too closely'. Admittedly, pining isn't something he ever had too much experience with. Anyone he had attention in always had it right back, or else he was the one being pined over.

...Never mind whatever's going on with Vasya. That isn't pining, clearly.

"I'm sorry, lisichka. The heart can be a cruel thing. It seems almost to have a will of its own."

Developing Feelings! How dare it...! Though he has to give a chuckle at that. "It's a shame I wasn't born a woman, in that case. We would have had fun together!

But there are other women here. Maybe you could still have some fun yet." He nudges her with his elbow, winking.

Randvi chokes out a shocked laugh. “Kostya! We very well may have. An expert…”

What a thing to have said. At nineteen she had thought she was an expert on everything.

“You sound like Thora, suggesting that to me. Do you really think any of the women here would want anything to do with me that way?”

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