#srpupdate

[modernpriestes]

A Toast

The obligatory drinks had been passed out, the apple cider bubbling in the plastic champagne glasses enticingly. Sora stared through the glass, lost in thought as Maru trotted up to join him. He huffed once, brown eyes wide in worry and Sora rubbed his head absentmindedly. Kairi sidled up beside him, looking at him sympathetically. "Hey. You okay?"

"...yeah. Just a little sad, I guess. All the fun made this a little harder."

"You sure you want to do this? We can save it for later."

He shook his head once, finally glancing up to meet her eye, "Nah. It's gotta be now. Waiting'll just make it worse."

The girl nodded once in understand, then clicked the stereo off, effectively silencing the music, and Kairi called out over the room. "Hello, everyone? Can I have your attention? Sora would like to make an announcement."

Waiting until most of the quiet murmurs had settled down, the girl stepped back to give him the floor.

[modernpriestes]

Into the Sky

Kairi burst through the door, the late afternoon sunlight nearly blinding after the dark lights of the inside of the house. Mary stood outside in wait. She did not even bat an eyelash at the commotion barreling through the door. She just watched coolly with one raised brow as the girl swung around to stand beside her, and the birthday boy came soon after. "You! Just wait 'til I get my hands on..." His anger slowly quelled as he blinked at the newest addition to the yard completely. Jaw went slack, eyes went wide, and guard went down. "Is that...?"

A giant trampoline took up about a quarter of the grassy area, brand new and set up in wait. The boy looked to his childhood friend, and then his caretaker with the first semblance of hope, like a child waiting to be told to go out for Chirstmas day. The woman nodded with a small amused smile. "Rented for the day, set up for your entertainment. All her idea, of course."

And then the boy's face finally broke out into a smile. "Kairi... Mary-" He threw himself forward, wrapping one arm around each of the women and pulling them into a group-friendly embrace. "You're the best! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

Kairi squeaked, and giggled before instantly hugging him back. Mary sighed a little in resignation, before placing a hand on his head. Physical affection and intimacy was not her forte or her preference, but she always made an exception for the kind-hearted, but often overzealous boy. It was hard to stay mad at him when he was this happy. But she did not seem displeased with the action, quite the contrary if her growing smile was an indicator. Besides, it was a special occasion. "Alright then, you've made your gratitude quite clear. Now off you go. I didn't set it all up just to have you stare at it."

Sora laughed, but took the hint and released them. He ran for the trampoline, toed off his shoes, and clambered up over the edge to get to the buoyant material in the middle. 

[modernpriestes]

BreakingCharacter: 'Kay guys, just letting you know the party will be extended ONE MORE DAY to get in the final event, presents, then Sora's announcement.

Unfortunately, I do have work today, so I'll be putting up the starter for the final event thread, then hopefully you all can party hard. So while I'm gone, you all get your presents for the birthday boy ready. Just send it in my submit box. After the presents and cake, Sora will have a little "speech" (if you can call it that, he's terrible at these things) for everyone, and then we will sadly have to bring this fun to a close.

Alright guys, let's wrap it up!

[modernpriestes]

Keep Away

Sora caught a glance at Riku, still bobbing in time with the music. "There you are, you made it! C'mon, there's plenty of room!" He wheedled, until the music suddenly went quiet, halting his rhythm. He glanced at Kairi questioningly, but saw her fiddling with the remote on the stereo, and chalked it up to change in pace, and turned his attention back to Riku. "Er, well there will be," He chuckled. "This is kinda-" He froze, the new song making him stiffen in panic.  "...Embarrassing." His fears were confirmed when his own voice came up on the system, and his face flushed as he rounded on his dear, dear best friend with the fury of an army to call out across the room. "KAIRI! YOU PROMISED YOU'D BURN THAT!"

"I DID!" She called back, all smiles and innocence. "ONTO A CD!"

"YOU-!" And he released Namine to point oh-so-threateningly toward the sweet looking girl. "GIMMIE THE REMOTE!"

"NO!"

He ran. He dashed across the room, weaving almost seamlessly through the body of people toward his target. But Kairi seemed unperturbed. In fact, she seemed positively delighted. When he got close enough, she chucked the remote into the crowd, thus starting the game of keep away. 

[modernpriestes]

((Hey guys. I wanna apologize to everyone for the party events I'm about to go through. I know most of you came late, so this is going to probably feel rushed to you, but... well I had my heart set on them and I want to do them before the party is over since, I won't get another chance to do them. You don't HAVE to take part in them, but I'd appreciate it if you did, so yeah.))

[modernpriestes]

Ground Rules

"Alright everyone," the woman's voice called out over the room. "Listen very carefully because I am only going to say this once, and I loathe to repeat myself."

The woman speaking up at the front was not particularly tall, nor particularly short. Trim, but not thin, and her blouse and knee length skirt were crisp a clean. She was an older woman of color with big brown eyes and rosy cheeks, with a usually more cheerful disposition, but right now was stern to show she meant business.

"While you're guest in Kairi's house, I expect you all to behave. There will be nothing broken or missing when this day is through, and I will be sure of that. There will be plenty of music, but absolutely no alcohol, so do not ask for any, and do not attempt to look for any. I know that some of you are of legal age, but most of you are minors, as is Sora, and I am here to be sure that nothing gets too out of hand."

Off to the side, Sora groaned as he hung his head in shame. "Great. Awesome start to a party."

Kairi chuckled and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She's just doing it because she cares. We'll still have plenty of fun."

"Yeah, I know. I just wish she'd care a little less... sternly." 

"I'll be out of the way for most of the festivities," The woman continued. "If there's anything you need, feel free to ask. Otherwise, I shall take my leave and leave you all to your fun. Thank you." And with a smile, a nod and a wink, she turned on her heel and clicked on the stereo system.

[modernpriestes]

((Guestlist and Guidelines have been updated. Please take a look because this is something I don't think you're quite used to on here. Also, guys, if you haven't done so yet, please start tracking the tag SRPupdate. I'll tag you all for this first one in case one of you didn't read The Dealio, but lets keep this simple for the future, kay?))