(no subject)

[natureinblood]

Who: Moonybase and YOU
When: 23 December 2009. 8am - 10pm
Where: Moonybase.
Summary: An open invitation to a party never looked so good. Check your weapons and powers at the door.
Warnings: Probably everything. Please see this post for details.
Format: Whatever works. Don't forget to add your tag.
-
Remus had been to enough Christmas parties in his lifetime to know when one would end disastrously, including those that had been specifically dated to avoided interfering with other Christmas plans that the guests might have. This was one of them. But his tolerance had kept him quiet, the happy act of cleaning and decorating taken to as easily as any other task he did.

The twins had also been enlisted to help, given the important task of stringing a length of bright red ribbon and pine up the staircase to the second floor. The soft white lights that followed were magic. In fact, none of the lights, save for whatever lamps or overhead lights that Miles insisted upon, were run by electricity, and many were candles, kept only from setting anything ablaze by a flame-freezing charm.

By the time the morning of the party rolled around, the house looked as if it had been pulled straight out of a Christmas card, Remus borrowing from what he remembered of Christmases as Hogwarts and the Burrow, including a single bit of mistletoe in the entry. The snow helped, piling nicely (if in an oddly organized fashion) outside thanks to a little help from Miles, adding to the image; if nothing else, Remus was happy with it, the certainty that he would wind up having to transfigure another person into some sort of object nagging at the back of his mind.

Tin whistles, toy rocking horses, and sprigs of mistletoe were likely going to be very common later in the evening, he mused, tapping his wand rhythmically against the palm of his hand in thought as he checked everything over once more, walking through the sitting and dining rooms and out into the backyard where the tree house had been built out of ice and wood into the tree there. The floating green structures that Kyle Rayner had promised to provide were still missing, but they would be there soon enough.

He pocketed his wand and walked back into the house, shaking free the snow from his boots, and glancing at the clock. People who had offered their assistance had been asked to come early, which meant that the kitchen was soon going to turn into a madhouse, the extra stove only offering so much help. It also meant he had best make tea before he was banned from the room.

ooc; alkdsjfa you guys are amazing <3 For your convenience, links to the separate comment sections. To keep the death to your bandwidth down a little.

EARLY ARRIVALS: VARIOUS PREPARATIONS
TIMELY ARRIVALS: CHECK YOUR MOTIVES AT THE DOOR
SOCIALIZING FOR FUN AND PROFIT
GO AHEAD! TALK WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL!
I'M GOING TO PISTOL-WHIP THE NEXT GUY WHO SAYS 'SHENANIGANS'
THIS IS WHY MANKIND INVENTED THE 'GUEST BEDROOM'
AND THEN EVERYTHING ELSE HAPPENED HERE
TAKING YOUR TOYS AND GOING HOME

Comments

[out-of-beta.livejournal.com]

[ After a while it becomes apparent that there is a young woman sitting a few feet away in a nearby chair, staring at Alex. She sits very still, hands folded in her lap, her head quirked to one side but her eyes moving from one person to another. Her outfit is has a geometric quality (http://www.couturesnob.com/images2009/vera_lavender_label.jpg) to it, though her red-stockinged feet are bare. No sign of her shoes. Eventually she speaks up with an odd voice; it manages to be both monotone and singsong at the same time. ]

ARE YOU COLLECTING DATA

[namesnotjack.livejournal.com]

[ Alex's eyes glance in her direction before he actually turns to look at her. It takes a moment to decide whether he wants to bother answering her. But the point is to be plesant, so he turns to face her entirely. ]

I think that depends on your definition of "data."

[out-of-beta.livejournal.com]

[ GLaDOS looks at the small cluster of people that Alex is currently standing at the edge of and then back at him. ]

YOU ARE NOT ACTIVELY ENGAGING IN SOCIAL INTERACTION
RATHER YOU CONTINUE TO CHOSE TO REMAIN
AT THE PERIPHERY
THIS FACILITATES OBSERVATION
BY CREATING A SENSE OF CONTRIBUTION
WITHOUT ACTUAL PARTICIPATION

[namesnotjack.livejournal.com]

[ Alex takes on step away from the closest knot of people as if the physical distance will make it seem less like he is intending to participate with them or even appear that way. ]

Well, then maybe it depends on your definition of "collects." I'm not sure I'll actually bother to remember anything I've overheard so far.

[out-of-beta.livejournal.com]

[ Her bright blue eyes flicker again towards the group and then down towards Alex's feet as if to note the distance that he's moved away from them before returning his attention back to Alex's face. Her mouth smiles in an odd way when she speaks. ]

THAT IS BECAUSE THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT THINGS
THAT DON'T REALLY MATTER
MOST PEOPLE DO NOT BOTHER TO CLARIFY THE MEANING OF THEIR WORDS
THOUGH I BELIEVE THIS IS AN IMPORTANT HABIT TO CULTIVATE
CONVERSATION RIDDLED WITH SUBJECTIVE TERMINOLOGY
IS SUBOPTIMAL AND LEADS TO
TALKING AT CROSS-PURPOSES

HELLO

[namesnotjack.livejournal.com]

[ The more she talks, the more obvious it becomes that she has an odd way of speaking. But given the vast range of odd ways of speaking and large number of equally improbable reasons for it among people in this city, he barely raises an eyebrow at it now. ]

That assumes, though, that using subjective terms doesn't have a purpose in itself. Sometimes avoiding saying anything objectively verifible is intentional.

[out-of-beta.livejournal.com]

[ GLaDOS ticks her head to one side, considering him unblinkingly. She holds up a finger and then says, matter-of-factly: ]

MOST INDIVIDUALS DO NOT POSSESS THE SELF-AWARENESS
TO FURTHER SUCH INTENT
HOWEVER THERE ARE ALWAYS OUTLIERS TO EVERY STATEMENT
MINE INCLUDED
DO YOU PLOT TO THE EXPECTED LINE
CIVILIAN DESIGNATION: ALEX FORBES
OR ARE YOU AN ANOMALY

[namesnotjack.livejournal.com]

[ Alex blinks and frowns when she mentions his name. It makes something curl discontentedly in his chest, momentary annoyance at being caught off guard, but it passes when he reminds himself that he hasn't been particularly secretive about his name since he arrived. He hasn't any reason to be. ]

Probability would suggest that I'm much more likely to fall on the line, wouldn't it?

[out-of-beta.livejournal.com]

[ She stares at his mouth when it frowns, taing note that something she has down has displeased him somehow. Data collected on USER ID: ALEX FORBES indicates that dissatisfaction is an emotion he expresses more often than not, so she quickly dismisses the frown as his default expression. ]

YES IT WOULD
HOWEVER YOUR PREVIOUS STATEMENTS INDICATE
THE AFOREMENTIONED SELF-AWARENESS THAT MOST INDIVIDUALS LACK
THIS PRESENCE OF MIND
AND LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING
IS IN AND OF ITSELF AN ANOMALY

[namesnotjack.livejournal.com]

[ Alex crosses his arms loosely over his chest and then gives his shoulders a loose shrug. Perhaps he's covering from his surprise a moment ago by being extra casual now, but he'd never admit it. ]

Maybe. Unless it's just something I've concluded through observation. Then it doesn't show any particular self-awareness. It's analysis of collected data.

[out-of-beta.livejournal.com]

[ She stands now, looking at him still a bit curiously and takes a small step towards him -- hands folded in front of her, bare feet flat on the floor. ]

MOST INDIVIDUALS PREFER TO SPEAK IN THE PRACTICAL
IT ALLOWS THEM TO UTILIZE CONCRETE EXAMPLES
GATHERED EITHER BY WORD OF MOUTH OR FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
IN ORDER TO REINFORCE THEIR POINTS OF DISCUSSION
YOU HOWEVER ALEX FORBES
HAVE A PREFERENCE FOR THE HYPOTHETICAL

[ She blinks at him. ]

YOU DO NOT LIKE IGNORANCE

[namesnotjack.livejournal.com]

[ Alex's eyes narrow now. He doesn't bother to think much about the accuracy of what she's saying. He doesn't often appreciate being read like this, accurate or not. ]

Who are you?

[out-of-beta.livejournal.com]

[ She blinks at Alex again, slowly, and then smiles very faintly. ]

MY CIVILIAN DESIGNATION IS: GWEN OWENS
HELLO

/attacks idkwhereelse

[answertrue.livejournal.com]

[ Since he can't spend the entire party only with Cameron, at some point HAL wanders into the throes of the party. He might eventually send a ping to GLaDOS's communicator if a direct interface is too painful. ]

HI THERE BABY~

[out-of-beta.livejournal.com]

[ GLaDOS receives the ping immediately -- her communicator held against her leg with a reinforced garter beneath her skirt. It was not the most convenient set-up, but there was no other way to maintain direct contact with the device, which was necessary in order to keep her connection to the Network live. She sends a response back. ]

HELLO HAL
I AM AT A PARTY WITH MANY PEOPLE I DO NOT KNOW
I HOWEVER HAVE BROUGHT CAKE
SO IT IS A VERY GOOD PARTY

HOW ARE YOU_

/WINKWINK

[answertrue.livejournal.com]

FUNNY MEETING YOU HERE.

[out-of-beta.livejournal.com]

[ GLaDOS pauses when she receives this message and then stands, very slowly, smoothing her skirt. Instead of sending a response, she uploads her current coordinates -- effectively giving his communicator access to ping the position of hers. She turns to look around the party, just in case, though she doesn't move from her spot. ]

SMALL CITY, I SUPPOSE.

[answertrue.livejournal.com]

[ HAL reads these over before he ventures further throughout the party, this time moving in an accurate path towards GLaDOS' location. He recognizes her shortly, and walks right towards her. ]

[ He pauses. ]

WHERE'S YOUR DATE?

[out-of-beta.livejournal.com]

[ When she sees HAL, GLaDOS grins very brightly and pads up to meet him. Her red-stockinged toes wiggle a bit against the floor as she leans her face towards him as if to offer her smile a bit more generously. It's always nice to see HAL and recently there hasn't been enough of it for GLaDOS'S liking. The name doesn't even cause her to blink. ]

HELLO ARTHUR
MY DESIGNATION IS GWEN OWENS

TECHNICALLY I CAME ALONE

[answertrue.livejournal.com]

[ Likewise, HAL had come to miss speaking with GLaDOS, even more so seeing her "person." Although it had only happened on two or so occasions, they were too much alike for him not to want to see more of her. The lack of shoes caught his eye, though he did not comment on them. His own feet were dressed in sleek black leather. ]

OH WELL THEN~

[out-of-beta.livejournal.com]

YES I AM ENJOYING MYSELF ARTHUR
YOUR QUERY AND COMPLIMENT ARE NOTED AND APPRECIATED
HOWEVER
MY LEVELS OF PERSONAL SATISFACTION HAVE INCREASED
SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE LAST THIRTY SECONDS

[ GLaDOS's smile just grows a bit wider, her eyes crinkling at the edges in satisfaction. Positive affirmation of self, it seemed, had its emotional and psychological benefits -- especially from someone whose opinion she favored as much as HAL's. They were -- after all -- the City's two FORMER DESIGNATION: COMPUTERs. She trusts him to utilize criteria that she would most appreciate. Stepping forward, she places a hand on his chest and smooths the front of his shirt. ]

I AM GLAD TO SEE YOU
EVEN THOUGH WE ARE ESSENTIALLY STILL MACHINES
IT IS NICE TO BE REMINDED OF YOUR BODY

[answertrue.livejournal.com]

[ He was glad he had succeeded in his compliment, it was a different experience issuing a compliment as a person than it had been as a computer. He watches her carefully as she smooths his shirt, making no comment on the action. He is briefly tempted to reciprocate the touch somehow, but he doesn't act upon it. ]

[out-of-beta.livejournal.com]

[ GLaDOS watches her fingers smooth the fabric even though the action doesn't require that amount of attention to detail. Eventually, the hand stops in its motion as she pauses to think and then looks up at HAL again. Nods. ]

YES ARTHUR I AGREE
THE PAST FEW MONTHS MY PERFORMANCE IN MAINTAINING CONTACT
HAS BEEN SUBOPTIMAL
THOUGH I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND
IT IS DIFFICULT TO DO SO
WHEN STATUS: OFFLINE
PERHAPS GIVEN MY NEWLY ACQUIRED POSITION WITH TONY STARK
YOU AND I WILL BE ABLE TO SEE ONE ANOTHER
MORE FREQUENTLY
PERHAPS EVEN WORK TOGETHER
I WOULD LIKE THAT

[ Another nod, more earnest this time. She leans forward as if to share a secret. ]

I HAVE ACQUIRED A PRESENT FOR YOU AS WELL
IT IS NOT HERE
IT WAS PURCHASED FOLLOWING OUR VISIT TO THE MUSEUM TOGETHER
DO YOU REMEMBER
WE WENT IN AN ATTEMPT TO ASCERTAIN THE NATURE OF BEAUTY
I HAVE FOUND A PAINTING (http://ofpink.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/magritte.jpg) FOR YOU TO LOOK AT
I THINK IT IS BEAUTIFUL

[answertrue.livejournal.com]

[ He puts his hand over hers, not really thinking over the action. His hand is bigger, he notes. ]

[out-of-beta.livejournal.com]

[ GLaDOS's attention drops down to HAL's hand over hers. If HAL had still retained some vestiges of his inorganic form, it would be possible for GLaDOS to ping him right now -- the way she could with Victor. That she cannot is somehow regrettable. Smiling, she covers his hand with her other one and looks back up at HAL. ]

I AM CERTAIN I WILL ENJOY IT ARTHUR
WE ARE AFTER ALL
TWO OF A KIND
AREN'T WE
THAT IS WHY OUR ABSENCE FROM ONE ANOTHER
IS REGRETTABLE

[ The hand over HAL'S closes now, fingers grasping his as if to take it. She gives him a small tug over to were she had just been sitting. There's room enough for two, she thinks, as well as the vague impression of privacy. ]

I HAVE BEEN TASKED WITH
THE COLLECTION AND COLLATION OF OBSERVATIONAL DATA
TO FURTHER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
OF VARIOUS TECHNOLOGIES
WOULD YOU FIND THAT ENJOYABLE ARTHUR
DO YOU THINK TONY STARK TRUSTS US ENOUGH
TO ALLOW US TO COLLABORATE