Tea Party || log; ongoing

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

When; Sunday the 17th, afternoon
Rating; PG-13 for possible language, violence(!?) & moody magical girls
Characters; MKR crew plus guests
Summary; When Road's and Umi's long-awaited tea party finally occurs, the former doesn't truly expect that long guest list to be much of a problem. Why should she?
Log;

The house smelled of roses and homemade bakery. In, fact, the apartment had never felt as much like home as it did on that very moment. Umi looked around and felt completely satisfied with the arrangements. At least she'd managed to get the place to feel cozy in time to play host.

Right, so there'd been a couple of obstacles to overcome, like that annoying sleep curse. Umi made a face as she set down a plate of freshly baked scones on one of the decorated tables. The damn thing had had her off snoring all Thursday long. She'd needed to run to catch up once she'd recovered the spirit to crawl out of bed. It'd been a small miracle that the invitations had been written and delivered (a miracle made possible by Ken's and Rin's assistance) and the last minute shopping done.

Fortunately everything was in place and awaiting their friends' arrival. The tables were beautifully arranged with all sorts of homemade pastries. Several varieties of tea were available for the guests to choose from. C's and Kimihiro's help at the kitchen had been invaluable, and Road had done quite a great job at making the place look more festive. There would even be sake as a stronger choice of a drink for those Umi knew would appreciate it, thanks to Misao's own contribution.

The water Knight sighed with accomplishment. Finally a small celebration to make up for all the messes The City had put them through during the last weeks, including her fateful trip Underground. She smiled as she smoothed the skirts of her dress. Nothing could go wrong from here.


[ooc: I'm off to bed for tonight, guys. @_@ Please feel free to assume Umi wandered off and will be around bringing tea and cake to the guests. Take this wherever you want~ ♥]

Comments

[seeking-heat.livejournal.com]

*knock knock knock*

"Umi-san."

And who should arrive first but the little sister herself, Tohno Akiha. The young family head had chosen something simple (http://www.mangafox.com/manga/shingetsutan_tsukihime/v02/c015/21.html), yet held an air of mature grace. She also noticeably had a simple necklace on, a white ribbon in her hair. With her, a basket of scones she had bought earlier. (After her adventures of baking lemon cakes with Chrono, it'd be too soon to show off her lack-of baking skills.)

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

Right on time! The last minute retouches to the floral centerpieces were finished. Umi gave the place an assessing look, then hurried to get the door. She'd recognized Akiha's voice since before she opened.

"Hi there, Akiha. Welcome!" Umi smiled cordially at greeting her friend, who was looking elegant as ever. She congratulated herself on deciding to make the little event as refined as possible. She has the feeling Akiha would approve. "Please come in! I hope the place looks nice."

[concept-killer.livejournal.com]

Shiki had finally arrived. Well, he wished he could say that but he had been here the entire time. He had been forced politely asked by Road to preview the decorations she had made. No, the humor wasn't lost on him that he couldn't even do such a simple task.

Okay, so he lied again. He had left so he could pick up Taiga since he had promised and he saw the consequences of broken promises plenty of times. Sadly, Shiki being Shiki, didn't knock on his re-arrival and let himself in.

"Did I miss anything?"

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

Come this point in their friendship (though she was rather sure using such a word to define their relationship would earn her a face from Akiha's older brother), Umi wasn't really surprised at Shiki's entrance. All the contrary. A polite knock would have scared her witless.

What had INDEED surprised her had been seeing Shiki around the place assessing Road's decorations earlier. First she'd learned he'd be helping the other girl with the posters for the circus, now this? Frankly, Umi hadn't guessed the two were in such friendly terms, especially considering Road's reputation.

"Just to knock." Her greeting was affable despite the remark. She gestured toward the tables area. "Your sister beat you. Care for a cup of tea?"

[moresake.livejournal.com]

Yuuko ran into Shiki at some point during the party-- quite literally, given that he wasn't trying to use his eyes, but entirely by accident. It was just a gentle bump, though, hopefully.

"You seem to be friends with everyone in this City," she said wryly.

[moresake.livejournal.com]

Yuuko was always dressed to kill, and today was no exception, her kimono the bright greens and yellows of spring. She'd knocked, of course, and then entered, Clow likely trailing behind.

Of course, the food and the sake caught her eye immediately, and she clapped her hands cheerfully.

"This looks wonderful, Umi!"

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"Thanks a lot and welc---! wow." Yuuko's dazzling looks had Umi gaping for a little while. Then she recovered, hopefully before she looked even sillier. The sophisticated sorceress always looked her best, didn't she. Suddenly Umi felt even gladder she'd dressed up for the occasion. "You look great, Yuuko! Uh... I'm really glad you decided to come!"

[i-themagician.livejournal.com]

Clow did indeed enter behind her, and was quite a bit less outgoing although equally well-dressed in a Victorian style in various shades of blue, periwinkle, and white.

"That it does," he agreed, smiling. Turning to his hostess he added, "thank you for inviting us, Umi."

[revengeisalie.livejournal.com]

Sunday was a free day, and Rin couldn't say she wasn't glad for this. The relatively new experience of doing good, hard work every day had soon worn down to monotony. A party among friends to break that routine was just right. She was especially glad that she'd been able to help with the preparations - that way she felt a little less like a freeloader. Invitation was invitation, but social get-togethers like this had become rare in her life.

Humming a little, she walked the distance from building three to building eight. It was a walk of moderate length, and she enjoyed it, for the weather was nice. For once, she'd chosen a flower-patterned kimono rather than her worn-down flame-patterned one - not an immediate decision, so used had she become to wearing the familiar fabric; but she felt a more festive note might be appropriate.

She had also left her weapons at home.

Finally standing before building eight, she paused a little to heave her shoulders and let a sigh of contentment escape her lips, before she hissed a "yosh!" to herself and entered, walking down the aisle to Umi's apartment. She knocked twice in quick succession and waited.

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

The guests had started gathering, the party was on its way... So far Umi had relaxed into the feeling that everything was coming along nicely. She could relax, let go of her hostess' nerves and concentrate on enjoying the occasion.

When she opened the door she was wearing a cheerful smile that got bigger as she greeted Rin. Her first friend in The City! The party wouldn't have been the same without the older girl. "Welcome, Rin! Thanks for coming. I'm really happy you could make it. Please come in and meet everyone."

fashionably late o/

[redstrength.livejournal.com]

Hikaru stepped back into the apartment; she'd had training that morning so she couldn't help with the setup for everything like she'd wanted to. The days before, she had places she needed to be so she wasn't much help with getting everything else done with Umi like she wanted to. But despite how she felt about it, she would still be here with her friend, and their friends.

She had enough time to change and be ready before people arrived and smiled at how the apartment looked. It wasn't anything at all like what it was for the last seven months but at the same time, it did.

She could already hear people coming in. Time really passed quickly.

<3 it's the best kind of late

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"Hey Hikaru!" Umi parted with a little group of guests to go greet her best friend. She'd been wondering where had Hikaru been until then, though with the apartment looking so crowded it wasn't surprising that they'd lost sight of each other. "So there you are! How'd you like the looks? Road and Shiki did a great job, huh? Come have some tea with us!"

[child-radical.livejournal.com]

He hoped that the day would be normal. At least as normal as any day within the City could be. Huey mildly wondered if he would actually get a chance to see the infamous Road Camelot, as he walked up to the door of Umi’s apartment. Knowing that the Noah was also friends with Umi was almost enough to keep him from attending the gathering, but, he had promised that he would come beforehand. That and also somebody needed to keep an eye on Timothy should he arrive.

Mostly because he had an odd feeling that his friend would do something stupid, like pick a fight with an overpowered being. He reached out and knocked on the door to announce his presence to the hostess of the party.

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

They kept coming. This was a good sign.

Umi had just been passing by the door with a massive blueberry custard cake to replace the one the guests had already devoured, when the knock made her halt. She opened with her free hand and smiled as she found Huey, looking rather preoccupied. Though that was usual for the boy, far as she could tell. Ever since they'd met she'd wondered what made her friend stay always so circumspect. His rare smiles were heartwarming.

"Hey there, Huey! Glad you're here." She opened the door wide, balanced the cake on one hand and gestured toward the biggest table. "Anyone coming with you? Come on in! Let's get you a cup of tea. Just lemme put this monster on the table."

[dreamsofnoah]

Once she'd finished with the decorations she'd dashed back quickly to her apartment to get ready - no use ruining her party dress before the party had even started. She'd even bothered to brush down her spiky hair so that it was neat and normal, held back by a pretty matching ribbon.

She was really looking forward to the tea party. Not just for all the lovely cakes and food that Umi had prepared, but for the rather interesting mix of guests she knew there'd be. She expected it was going to be an amusing time, to say the least.

And thinking that, she entered Umi's apartment again, ready to start mingling and having fun.

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

Umi waved at Road from where she was standing around chatting with a group of guests. (Her guests? Road's? Someone else's friends? The place was so crowded she couldn't even tell anymore, but she HAD indeed given everyone leave to bring whoever they wanted and didn't regret it.) She sure hoped her friend was satisfied with the arrangements. Umi knew she was, herself.

Road was looking rather lovely in her dress, Umi noticed. She felt so relieved she hadn't been the only one to dress up for the whole thing. The elegant-ish flair she'd lent to the party was justified, but that didn't mean this was to be any sort of formal occasion. Umi just wanted everyone to be comfortable and have fun.

What Shiki had mentioned about Road's own guest list was still with her. But this couldn't bother her a lot. She understood her friend's world was a dangerous place. Things between the Noah and these exorcist guys weren't pretty. But as long as they just settled for enjoying a good moment and stayed safely away from each other Umi hoped no arguments would start.

[mypace-musume.livejournal.com]

At the time Konata arrived, the front door was already open to admit other guests. So she simply ducked into the apartment without knocking, looking a little out of place.

"Hi, Umi. Um, I didn't get dressed up or anything, but I heard this was going on today, so..."

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"Konata, you made it~!" It was such a huge relief to have Konata back in the City Umi almost felt guilty about it. She'd stayed out of the Network the day her friend had returned (blame that stupid laziness curse: it'd screwed her schedule for the party arrangements). But when she'd learned about it she'd felt nothing short of happy. Things were far easier to handle with the older girl around, somehow. And Umi would have hated to part with her in the slightly tense terms they'd been in when Konata went home.

"This? Aw, nevermind the dress. It's just that I felt like putting something special on!" She smiled as she went to greet Konata. "I'm really glad you're here even after the short notice. Does this place always dump people on that stupid fountain when it brings them back or what?"

[copulae.livejournal.com]

Naminé stood outside the door in her new dress (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/sir_riza/HE09297RD-M-08-26-07.jpg), hesitating for reasons she wasn't really sure of. Road had invited her, but she could hear quite a few people in there. She wasn't used to large groups. It made her with Kairi was with her.

Holding her chin up, the Nobody gently knocked against the door.

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

Guests kept arriving, cakes going down like casualties of war, and Umi already thought this hostess business was nothing like "relaxing". She was enjoying herself, though. Even running all over the place greeting people and readying more sweets and tea it was the best time she'd had in a while.

She opened the door to a face she didn't remember. No surprise there: surely one of Road's guests. She smiled at the girl happily. "Welcome and thanks for coming! I'm Umi. Please, do come in."

[gustymagic.livejournal.com]

One month. Perhaps a few days more -- maybe a week, but at least a month. That was how long Fuu had been in the City, as far as she had counted. Admittedly, she had been made to feel at home almost immediately...it was difficult not to, when Umi and Hikaru went to such a great effort.

Nonetheless, she worried sometimes about her family, and whether her absence would go unnoticed like her time in Cephiro, or if maybe--

The kettle began to whistle, a high-pitched noise, almost child-like in merry impatience. The sound snapped her abruptly from her daze, and with a smile she turned off the heat on the stovetop. She could hear people talking in the other room, she noted as she poured hot water into a pot to take back to the living room. She had never hosted a party before, but maybe this would be a good opportunity to better get to know these people.

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

If one thing could make the topnotch tea she'd burst her budget to buy even more topnotch, Umi knew that was Fuu taking care of that department. She'd just rushed into the kitchen with half the mind to get another kettle on the stove (tea was running dry rather quickly), only to find her best friend was already taking care of the matter.

Umi sighed and smiled a little tiredly at the other girl. "Fuu, you're a lifesaver. Thanks so much for helping with this. Things keep getting busier..."

Something made her curious. Had she just caught Fuu in the middle of a reverie? Umi approached the stove and leaned against the nearby wall a bit wearily due to her constant comings and goings, her eyes turning to the Knight of wind with a slight concern. "Everything okay?"

[tenmorehours.livejournal.com]

Chrono hesitated outside of the door of the party, scanning the group of people for either of the Tohno siblings. He really should have come with one of them. He always felt awkward in groups of people he didn't know. It wasn't that he didn't like parties, but guessing how to behave or react to people he didn't know always felt...tricky.

Well, it wasn't doing him any good putting it off any longer. He cleared his throat and ducked his head down as he walked into the apartment, doing his best not to look as shy as he felt. "Um...hi! I brought some cookies."

[seeking-heat.livejournal.com]

Finally, a welcome sight. Seeing that both hosts were busy, Akiha called, "Chrono. Come it! Don't just stand there!"

[dclx.livejournal.com]

With a mama in each hand, Vivio bravely approached the apartment door. She'd never been to a tea party before, and never really had the opportunity to get to know any of the Knights well, and her nervousness showed on her face, despite her attempts to hide it. After all, she was strong enough to not let a little nervousness stop her, right?

She looked to both of them, then let go of their hands and softly knocked on the door.

[gonnabefriendu.livejournal.com]

Nanoha knelt down beside Vivio and put a hand on her shoulder after she had knocked.

"Put on a smile, Vivio. You're a big girl so meeting new people is supposed to be fun."

[makes-you-tick.livejournal.com]

Gabriel Sylar didn't know anyone here, other than the two hostesses. That's not really new- he's reminded of long afternoons he'd spend with his mother, trying to get her to join a bridge club or find some friends with their dancing classes. But he's really forward to meeting people today. Besides, who doesn't love tea and scones?

He's dressed as he tends to for his work, a well-tailored dark grey suit and glasses. His hair is combed back and he smiles at the tables of food as he looks for Umi or Road. More for Road.

[child-radical.livejournal.com]

Huey looked up from pouring himself another cup of tea and gave the newer entrant an inquisitive look. Deciding to be somewhat helpful, he picked up an empty cup and walked over to the well-dressed man.

"There's a large selection so you're likely to find something that you’ll like." Said the afro-headed boy as he held the cup out for Sylar to take.

[gforgreat.livejournal.com]

He stood in front of the door with a strange look. Numerous times on his way here he had almost turned back around, telling himself there was no need to attend such a fruity party, but-...

He didn't trust Road. Or any sort of people she hung out with and figuring Umi was there, that airhead girl wouldn't know batshit if it bit her on the-

Timothy growled quietly to himself. What was the worse that could happen? Road didn't seem that stupid enough to try and slit his throat in front of everyone, though he'd have to make sure not to eat anything. He swallowed the growing fear in his throat and lifted a fisted hand to the door to knock.

He stood like that for a good five minutes before finally knocking weakly.

[seeking-heat.livejournal.com]

Akiha had been about to walk towards Road, currently dragging Nii-san around (the little imp), when her eyes heard the knocking of the door. She would have called out to Umi, except she was busy in conversation with someone else. And she didn't trust Road with anyone. So, carrying her basket of scones (now resembling broken softballs hastily fixed with different colors), she made her way to the door, opening it to find...

One of the last few people she expected her. "...Beg pardon, but I think you have the wrong apartment."

[haroicsacrifice.livejournal.com]

It might have taken him a little while, but in the end, Lockon did show up after all. He knocked, and when he entered, he was, as promised, trailing two others--Allelujah and Tieria. But only those two; Setsuna was nowhere to be found.

"Just looking at all this makes me feel underdressed," he said as he took in the setup, but he was grinning.

[holyinhell.livejournal.com]

Wearing his usual tight outfit, Allelujah couldn't help but feel the exact same. He actually felt rather inadequate, meeting so many new people in a dress that wasn't yet considered "fashionable". Still, he shoved those feelings to the side with a small smile.

"I can fully understand that feeling. Everyone here seems almost overdressed."

[somekindofsin.livejournal.com]

Carl ducked into the apartment. Glancing at the other guests, he felt somewhat underdressed for the occasion. His wardrobe was rather limited, but it wasn't as if something like that would stand between Carl and an array of freely offered baked goods.

The friar managed to scope out--and pocket--a fair share of scones before looking about for someone he knew. Parties were something of a novelty to him, and the sheer number of people milling about the apartment made him want to shuffle off to his safe, quiet laboratory. Well... safe wasn't the right word, but it was certainly quieter than this.

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"Carl! There you are! Thanks for coming." Umi approached the friar as soon as she saw him near the tables, during one of those rare moments of quiet in between bringing fresh pastries in and greeting guests. "I know you're usually busy with your science projects and stuff. I really appreciate it."

[branchofsin.livejournal.com]

He had finished a good deal of the work outlined for him that day and so decided to go to the tea party. He had put on a normal black suit and tie for the occasion and made his way over to the destination for the party. Ganta was slightly nervous at the prospect of meeting new people but it was a good nervous. And even if he didn't meet too many people he could always just spend some time talking to Road.

Ganta knocked on the door three times with right hand while he fixed his tie with his left hand.

[soulofocean.livejournal.com]

"Hey there. Um... Ganta, right?" Umi squinted as she tried to pinpoint the name. She remembered talking to the boy once but couldn't be sure. "I'm Umi. Thanks for coming! Road's around too. Do come in! I'm sure she'll come over to say hi soon."

Lord almighty I am late

[godisacreampuff.livejournal.com]

Mokona'd been bouncing around the apartment, taking care of any final preparations that Umi needed done away from where she was, and generally making sure everything was in its place for when the guests arrived.

Once this was said and done, he settled himself in the floating chair he'd made for himself (much like Presea's chair), and looked quite content as he waited to see who would come.

[moresake.livejournal.com]

"Mokona!" Yuuko said as she approached, grinning broadly. It hadn't been too long since they'd seen each other, true, but she wouldn't miss a chance to spend time with her old friend.

She had a glass in her hand and she seemed quite cheerful; she'd drank some tea earlier but had already switched to sake, though she wasn't drunk yet, just happy.

"How are you?"