The Neinhaus

[devilstongue]

● WHO: The Mighty Nein & Vox Machina (V9) + Friends
● WHAT: House Catch-All 2021
● WHEN: Comment Headers
● WHERE: The Neinhaus + Voxhaus + Wizardhaus
● WARNINGS: Comment Headers



CATCH-ALLS

Neinhaus
🔥 Caleb 🔥
🌊 Fjord 🌊
🌙 Mollymauk 🌙
🍄 Caduceus 🍄
🤜🏽 Beauregard 🤛🏽
🧁 Jester 🧁
🏹 Veth 🏹

Wizardhaus
✨ Essek ✨
💎 Gilmore 💎
🔪 Vax'ildan 🔪

Voxhaus
🔫 Percy 🔫
🎇 Pike 🎇
🌳 Keyleth 🌳
🐻 Vex'ahlia 🐻



HOUSE STUFF
Group House Logs
V9 Group Chat

Comments

green dorito.

[halforc]

[ The first thing Fjord does is pick Veth up and shake her, then hug her, and proceed to find them drinks to argue over. He's animated in the way she kicks that out of him and whatever annoyance he feels with her is fond, forgiven immediately because he missed her. They may always be ready to snipe at each other but it hasn't been the same without her around, the same way it isn't when any of the Nein are missing.

He likes hearing her chattering around the party as he winds his way through, granted a kiss from Molly (who draws his own brand of attention as he waltzes around in a crop top, pshh), happy to wander with a beer and strike up conversations wherever people float over to him in the afternoon. The Heroes' Feast is a fucking godsend and he piles up a couple of plates with as much meat as he can.

Near the evening as the overhead sign glimmers in welcome, he sits under one of Caduceus's trees and leans back to watch the party. He rests a wrists against a bent knee, idly holding onto the last of his beer. ]

[flurry_of_beaus]

[ Beau's got only the one plate, but it's piled high with food as well, a carefully balanced mass of meat with side dishes as bulwarks. She's picking at food in much the same manner as Fjord, but it's him she flicks a bean at as he reaches for a roll. ]

Leave stuff for the rest of us.

[halforc]

Fight me for it.

[ He has a small mountain of pulled pork and apple-sauce, forking it into his mouth with bulging cheeks. Speaking around a wad, he looks absolutely blissed out as butter shines on his lips. ]

Can we get Caleb to learn this? Could we have it every night? That Gilmore guy is a genius.

[flurry_of_beaus]

[ She bares her teeth at him, like she just might fight him for it, like a hellcat, but instead the snarl fades (quickly) into a wide smile of amusement. ]

I dunno. But if he can learn it, you can bet Caleb's ready to show up to school tomorrow morning, bright and early. [ She snickers softly. ] If it were any other party, he'd probably be pumping him for information now.

[halforc]

We're going to have a house brimming with wizards and sorcerers before long. What if Pumat shows up?

[ Oh god, he's going to choke on a laugh. No!! He doesn't want to think of the purity of Pumat and his clones here! Why did he do that to himself. ]

[flurry_of_beaus]

[ Beau snorts as she piles a few chicken wings onto her plate. She leaves one in hand, waving it about while she speaks. ]

If Pumat shows up, we're definitely getting out of here. I refuse to believe the Augur is any match for him, with the rest of us backing him up.

[halforc]

I feel like he could guilt-trip them into letting us go.

[ If not obliterate them. ]

[semicharmed]

[ Who knows how late it is right now? Not Matt, who hasn't thought to check his bracelet thing. All he knows is that he's scored some delicious food and drink, everybody here is beautiful, and for the moment, nothing hurts.

Speaking of beautiful, that guy's green. Associations photosynthesize in Matt's brain, spring shoots and mint crushed in his palm, though he tries not to stare because even tipsy, he retains his commitment to basic manners.

Is that a weird line to draw at a party you crashed? Quite possibly. Anyway, he salutes Fjord gently with his glass. ]

This is ... definitely the most fun I've had since I got here.

[halforc]

[ Noticing the newcomer who speaks to him, he gives a raise of his beer in a polite 'hello'. ]

You must not be too enchanted with the Augur's card they gave you, if that's the case.

[semicharmed]

[ Matt blinks. In fight-flight-freeze party mode, he'd kind of forgotten the card existed. He laughs. ]

Oh, right. My-- [ Shifting his glass to his other hand, he gives a shake of his wrist. ] --to-do list. No, um, I'm sure that'll be fun too, just ... different kind of fun.

[halforc]

[ That draws out a laugh, wry though it is. ]

A To-Do list, that's one way of putting it.

[ He offers a hand to shake. ]

I'm Fjord.

[semicharmed]

[ Matt shifts forward to take his hand. His grip is sure, but not terribly firm. ]

Matt, hey, nice to meet you Fjord.

I haven't actually spent all that much time going through it yet, I figure--get my bearings first.

[ He also has a quasi-mystical belief that auspicious sex will happen on its own, but that's neither here not there. ]

[halforc]

Hi, Matt.

[ Poor bastard, newly arrived. ]

If you want some advice, keep in mind two or three of the easier acts. Then if a ... situation ever arises, you'll at least benefit from it beyond the immediate.

[ May as well get some treats from the Augur where possible. ]

wildcard!! ✨

[oomfies]

[ Fjord isn't the only one sitting back and people watching. In fact, if he skews his gaze juuuust across the way, under a tree very much similar to his, he'll spy some other partygoers with the same idea. Partygoers he can recognize just by their head of hair: green and pink.

It looks strangely picturesque, the way these two ladies sit precariously on their blanket. Practiced, with ease, legs folded underneath their bodies, delicate hands reaching for the plates of snacks surrounding them. Aphrodite says something that makes Lottie laugh, a happy grin to her face as she replies casually.

Their conversation goes on like this for a few moments, right up until she spies him just by a last minute turn of her head, mid-gesture to the bar.. And then a hand moves to softly nudge Aphrodite to the sight. Lottie waves a little excitedly Fjord's way, covering her mouth as she chews on her food. ]

[paramounts]

[Aphrodite had noticed Fjord throughout the party - he was hard to miss, and it was fun to watch him from a distance. Seeing the way his friends bring easy smiles and fast jokes felt like peeking into something private and cherished. A part of him that she wanted to steal just a little bit of for herself. Eventually, she'd catch him and see if maybe she could get him to smile that way for her.

But then Lottie arrives and Aphrodite is the only person she knows, and the goddess doesn't mind at all about her plus-one. Lottie was funny and strange in the way that she laughs at a joke that Aphrodite doesn't tell – they needed to “act natural”, before calling Fjord over for reasons that are beyond her, but she plays along. Pretending not to notice that Fjord was standing only a dozen yards away.

On cue, she's nudged and she looks up, acting like it's the first she's noticed Fjord, with widening eyes and a smile that creeps slow across her features. A coy bite to her lip and she nibbles on the edge of a well-manicured nail, pretending to make up her mind about this or that. Before one, slender finger curls. Beckoning him closer.]

[halforc]

[ He eyes Lottie and debates flicking a pebble over at her (he is 100% sure she would lob a rock back), then catches Aphrodite's eye and his lime-green cheeks darken to juniper. Sigh. His life is just!! So hard. Trying to look super casual as he gives them a little wave back, he heads over and sinks down in a crouch with his beer, a warm easy gaze drifting over both of them. ]

For a moment I thought we might have another flowerbed, you two make for a pretty pair.

[oomfies]

[ A flowerbed? A pretty pair?? Lottie feels surprised, and simultaneously looks impressed at Fjord's colorful choice of words. And after a moment, when she's finished eating and her hand pulls away, it manages to put a smile on her face. Even if she flounders on what the hell to say because, well, this isn't typical Fjord behavior - ]

If that's ye olde speak for we look super amazing? Thanks.

[ The unspoken, 'Because it's true, we do', is left hanging in the air but implied ever so easily by the cheeky grin to her face. ]

You know, we'd look just as cool if we had someone else sitting with us. [ She suggests, ] Someone in theme with our flowerbed..

[paramounts]

[Of course they look amazing, Aphrodite is here and also Lottie is hot too. She just grins up at Fjord; long legs curl to make room for him to join them, and she rests one of her elbows on a knee to prop her chin on the back of her hand. Making big doe eyes up at him because the last time they'd spent together they'd been happily married so of course she is.]

I promise that we're better company than that old tree. [One hand brushes lightly over his leg on its way to pat the space on the blanket that was left conspicuously open. Just Fjord sized.]

We'll only keep you as long as you'd like to be kept, Darling. Lottie and I had a question for you.

[She's not sure if she was supposed to say that, Lottie acted so weird about inviting Fjord over in the first place.]

[halforc]

[ The look he gives Lottie says Why you gotta stomp on my dick??? as he deflates, bolstering himself back with a shrug. ]

It's called a compliment across the board, I think.

[ Moving on!! He sits down with them, a leg curled underneath himself as he sips his drink with curious (wary!) eyes on the women. ]

Oh? Which question?

[blumenthal]

[ The evening brings a certain sort of magic to the garden even beyond the literal magic over the gate, especially lit up and still lively, bustling with a jovial group of friends, acquaintances, and strangers waiting to become either. But it's familiarity that Caleb seeks out as he settles beside Fjord under the tree, shoulder nudging shoulder, drawing his oversized sweater closer around him and holding his mug of beer in both hands. ]

You know, it has been three months to the day now since you found me on the beach.

[halforc]

[ He welcomes Caleb with a nod, leaning against him in turn as they settle. The smile that touches his eyes is a touch wry and he clinks his bottle against that mug. ]

I was so scared. Of what it would mean for you. But, [ and he elbows him gently, ] I also knew I wanted to take care of you too, if you would let me. With Molly it was tougher, he had to break down a lot more walls than I knew I had up and I owe him a lot of credit for where I am now, but when I looked at you ...

It felt very simple; I knew I couldn't be selfish, even if I tried. I don't think I've had many epiphanies like that in my life.

[blumenthal]

[ Caleb's face softens. ]

You did take care of me. In that first month here, I think I would have gone mad without you.

[ Knowing that he had someone to rely on--and that it was Fjord, in particular--had definitely stopped him from making some poor choices. He loops his arm through Fjord's now, holding his mug in one hand. ]

I have not known you to be selfish in a long time, Fjord. Maybe that is why you made such an excellent husband.

[halforc]

[ Pleased with the attention when Caleb has an entire party to entertain him, he covers the arm looped through his with a hand. His eyes soften on him when the compliment comes and he leans in close enough to brush his lips over Caleb's. A not-kiss in front of their friends, restrained. ]

You have some nerve saying that when you were pretty much perfect yourself.

[blumenthal]

[ That touch of lips against lips, brief as it is, answers a question Caleb had been about to ask: could he kiss him? Now, here? Apparently yes. That leaves him smiling, content.

There's a little embarrassment when speaking of their very brief stint as a married couple, though not as much as expected. Certainly not as much as there had been right after it had happened. It mostly just feels silly now, but in a good way? Even if Caleb very much does not appreciate having his memory messed with, the actual time they spent together was nice. ]

That was all you, too. You made me want to be...good. For you.

[halforc]

[ Slumping against Caleb under the tree, he soaks up the easy companionship as much as he has the ale tonight off Gilmore's feast table. It warms him, too. ]

You already were. I ... really enjoyed being Fjord Widogast for a while there, you took good care of me. I was a lucky newly-married man.