open ♔ june/july castle socialization

[wynn]

WHO || Everyone! [ota]
WHAT || Shenanigans.
WHERE || Anywhere in the castle, surrounding environs, London, etc!
WHEN || Any time after June 7th  
HOW || Actionspam

[ The castle can be a happening place, even on more mundane days. This log is for random interactions over the course of these few months. Because not everyone is into parties, ok.   

You are encouraged to start your own threads and tag around, and feel free to threadjack into any on-going threads that aren't specified as 'closed' in the subject lines since people can enter into rooms even in the middle of what's going on. WE ARE BIG ON THREAD-JACKING HERE. You can also specify 'single thread', meaning you want only one response for all participants, rather than multi-thread, where a number of different scenes/threads can be done as replies to the top prompt.]

On this log:

Rafael, Buffy, Des & Wynn | Closed
Frankie & Lis'sa | Closed
Taradiddle @ the desk
Lydia @ the desk
Abigail @ the desk 
Adam @ the desk
Bambi @ the desk
Rebekah @ the desk
Dawn @ the desk
Adi @ the desk 
Stiles @ the desk
Felicity @ the desk
Will @ the desk
Han @ the garage
Ric @ the bars.  all of them.  also dragon's hoard lab.
Team NYC | Closed
Lila @ the kitchen/castle grounds
Kate B. @ castle grounds / training room
Aedan @ training / woods / common areas
Frankie @ front desk / garage / various
Maxwell @  rec room / training room / castle bar / forest
Will @ firing range / pond / castle grounds
Sven @ the woods
Adam @ library / firing range / London
Jaime @ castle tavern / training room / stables
Hook @ castle grounds / bar
Jack & Christos @ the training room
Damon @ the castle bar / castle grounds / woods / London / library
Sean @ castle ground / jumping out a window
Des @ the woods
Kate @ training / shooting range / castle grounds
Vi @ her room / bathrooms / pantry / dragon's light wing / firing range
Francesca @ training room / bar
Francesca & Val'drin | Closed
Kenzi @ training room
Lila & Bambi | Closed
Spike @ training room
Lissa @ foyer / Dragon's light wing / garden
Andrew @ his birthday!
Buffy @ Rafael's room / firing range / training room / dining hall
Francesca, Will, & Max | Closed
Faith @ Kitchen / London bars
Abigail & Will | Closed
Des | Dragon's Light wing
Jackson | Train station / training room / garage
Klaus | Bar / garden

Comments

kate bisop | ota

[alsohawkeye]

[ Kate spends most of the time pre-squiring exploring the castle and its grounds. There are very few unlocked places she can't be found at one time or another from the lowest floor to the roof and everywhere in between, including poring through the library and running long laps about the grounds.

Most often, though, she's in the training areas and taking advantage of whatever parts of the armory she's allowed access to out on the range. After too long without access to decent equipment she's not about to pass up this opportunity, however long it lasts. ]

[trebond]

[ Happy coincidence! Alanna also spends most of her time out of doors, because she's part of the fucking Ren Faire old man club that won't fucking adapt to the real world completely.

She's outside training her horse when Kate accidentally makes her way onto part of the course in her exploration of the yards. Alanna yanks hard on the reins to pull Sunchaser to a stop, directing her to the side for the slow-down so that she clears the girl's path. "Girl" — Alanna thinks it against her better judgment, realizing that, strictly speaking, Kate looks no younger than she. The look in her eyes, however, tells a very different story. It's the same awe that John Smith had carried with him when he first saw the castle. ]

Careful! [ Sunchaser trots out the tension, staying in the area and allowing Alanna to lead her back in a circle towards Kate, slower now, and a healthy distance away. ] These areas are used for mounted combat training. You're lucky you haven't lost an eye to a bow and arrow. [ Or been trampled by Alanna's horse, but she won't attribute that to luck—it's her own skill :') at stopping the beast. And Sunchaser's good natured obedience and wisdom to pick up on Alanna's cues. ]

[alsohawkeye]

[ Maybe the 'knights' should have given it away but 'modern day' had Kate thinking there probably wasn't going to be a whole lot of your traditional chivalric pursuits happening around here despite the presence of stables, and so getting trampled by a horse while out running really hasn't been her first concern. She hears it coming, even over the music pounding in her headphones, and side-steps off the path as Alanna slows, turning to look and tugging one earbud out as the rider speaks.

She's a little loathe to stop short of however many miles she's doing today, but she has to laugh, and so drapes the headphone cord around her neck and pauses to catch at an instep, pulling a foot back in a quad stretch while she smiles and replies. ]

If getting an eye shot out were really my fate I think it would've happened before now. Do you guys do a lot of mounted combat these days? [ It's not a dig, she's honestly curious. ]

[trebond]

Certainly not on horseback, at the very least.

[ She chuckles as if Kate is being super kawaii even though it was a legitimate question. Alanna sheathes her drawn sword at her hip—the scabbard almost looks out of place hung around the belt of her jeans—but the truth is more closely aligned with Alanna being out of place in such modern clothing. ]

But it keeps our skills sharp to practice nonetheless. Awareness, control, and accuracy can scarcely be taught as well by anything else. Would you like to try?

[alsohawkeye]

[ Kate's tolerance for being patronized today is pretty high, so she lets that laugh slide and focuses on the cool/important bits. ] Sure, [ is a fairly enthusiastic response, and she drops her foot back to the ground as she wanders nearer. ]

I'm a decent shot from horseback but it's been a while. I'm not sure I've ever tried with a sword, unless polo translates at all. What's her name? [ She indicates the horse and requests permission to touch her with the same gesture. ] She's lovely.

[trebond]

Sunchaser.

[ Alanna smooths a hand over her mane, then nods to Kate to allow her the same. Standing in the stirrups, she swings one leg over the horse and drops to the ground. Dismounted, she's ... a great deal shorter than she looked. Her smile is wide and welcoming, and she pats the side of the horse. ]

Not a vestige of my time before the Veil, I'm afraid. She's no Moonlight, but she's even-tempered and quick. [ She looks away from her horse, to Kate. ] Shot with what? [ Because around here, you do have to ask—bow or gun? ]

[twinfucker]

[Jaime is wandering by the range when he sees her shooting, and he pauses to watch. Around here, guns are favored over arrows, and it's nice to see that some people still prefer the old ways. Even if she is a girl.]

Are you from the shadow world?

[She's not dressed all archaic-like, but it would be nice to talk to someone else not so modern.]

[alsohawkeye]

[ Kate doesn't turn right away. She makes her shot, casts a glance his way, and then makes the next. She lines up a third as she replies to crush his hopes. ]

No, but I'm not from this world, either. I just prefer bows. You?

[twinfucker]

I'm from Westeros. It may be part of the Shadow World or not, I've yet to discover for certain. [She's a pretty good shot, he has to admit.] So your world does have guns, then?

[alsohawkeye]

Lots. [ She draws and shoots, draws and shoots, pace and breathing perfectly even, motions smooth and practiced. ] Sooo many guns. Yours more a sword and shield sort of place, then?

[twinfucker]

[It's not bad shooting. Good, even. He strolls up behind her, nodding at her stance, then looking up at the target. An impressive showing.]

Yes. Unlike most of the inhabitants of this castle, I bore the title of knight long before I came to this world.

[bittersweeter]

[ during one of her forays in the library, she would find lila sitting at a commandeered table in the back near some of the windows for natural light with a stack of books surrounding her that would give the impression she frequents the library a lot. she does, in fact, she's probably there more than belle is, but then again, lila doesn't sleep.

at the moment, she's cleared a space in front of her and her small grey kitten is sitting on the table. without touching him (and her ever present gloves are still on) the kitten sort of slumps down and starts breathing evenly as he sleeps. a smile lights up lila's face and she gives him some soothing pets before she snaps her fingers and he wakes up with a tiny kitten yawn. ] Hey Pizza, how was your nap? [ the small grey animal pads forward to bump his head against her hand like yes, it was awesome do it again!!! also gimme pets. ]

[alsohawkeye]

[ Kate was hoping for a window-seat herself, carrying a pair of books too plasticky-bound to be old as she heads through the stacks to the back. She's detouring around Lila's table, aimed for one a couple down, when the kitten and more specifically its name catch her ear and she slows, and turns. She backtracks a step or two, tucking the volumes under her arm so she can brush fingertips along the edge of the table. Her chin and brows rise in question but there's a smile pulling at her mouth and not a bit of mockery in it. ] Is his name really Pizza?

[bittersweeter]

Yeah. [ she looks up, pushing her hair back. ] His sister's name is Miss Moppet, but I didn't name that one. My idiot boyfriend did. [ there is the slightest pause as pizza bats his paw against her chin like ATTEND TO ME PEASANT. ] In context it's not as weird as it sounds.

[alsohawkeye]

I actually have a dog named Pizza Dog, so I totally believe it. [ Kate smiles at the kitten batting at her, shifting the books under her arm. She looks up to smile at Lila. ] I mean, his real name is Lucky, but we call him Pizza Dog at least half the time. My idiot partner named him.

[killmypatience]

[Kate comes down to the shooting range pretty often, looking to keep her skill set up in her own way. She's usually one for guns though, so when she catches Kate practicing with her bow, she stops for a moment, eyeing her form, and then her bow. She's always had a passing interest in archery but never the time to learn.

She thinks. It's hard to tell when you don't really remember a lot of your previous life.

Still, she waits for a break in shooting before speaking.]

What kind of bow is that?

[alsohawkeye]

[ Her form is perfect, if you know what to look for. Even if you don't the state of her target is a pretty good indicator. Kate's arrival and attention don't seem to affect her concentration. ]

Takedown recurve. Not any brand I recognize, though, if that's what you meant. I think it might've been custom made here. [ She twists her grip and flips the bow horizontal, tracing a finger over an unfamiliar maker's mark at one end as she turns towards the older woman. ] Do you shoot?

[killmypatience]

[She meant the type. She doesn't really know archery enough to know specific brands. But at the question, she shakes her head.]

Well, not with a bow. A glock is usually my weapon of choice.

[alsohawkeye]

Ahh. [ Kate nods, and then lifts a brow. ] Are you a cop? Not that only cops carry Glocks, but. [ But most cops carry Glocks. It should be noted that she just sounds curious, not like police officers make her nervous or anything, as might be the case for some around here. ]

[rationalizes]

[ gar is walking along and reading at the same time through the library b/c that's what she do, and not really looking where she's going, so... watch out b/c she's about to trip over your foot, kate. reflex save???? ]

[alsohawkeye]

[ Kate is hunched over a book, legs kicked out into the aisle, face propped on her fist though she's starting to slide off of it. She's reached that stage of glazed-over obliviousness where Gar's approach doesn't even register until it's nearly too late, and she snatches her foot back with a startle upright (ref 16). ] Whoa, sorry. [ She rubs at the side of her face, a ruddy blotch where her cheek's been mashed into her hand for an hour. ] Sorry about that. I didn't hear you come in.

[rationalizes]

Oh, pardon me! That was-- that was entirely my fault. I must learn to look where I'm going.

[alsohawkeye]

Not at all, don't worry about it. [ Kate's smile is quick and warm despite the sleepy glaze she's blinking out of her eyes. ] I shouldn't zone out with my feet in the aisle. I've been trying to catch up on scholarship about the veil but I guess I need a break.

Out of curiousity, how old is Kate?

[alwaysfaithful]

[Chris was not much of an outdoorsman and it quickly shows in his mannerisms. He knew he probably should embrace the outdoors but it simply was not in his nature. So he went to an indoor training area trying hard not to focus too much on his illness and just on the target in front of him.]

about 22?

[alsohawkeye]

[ Kate has no trouble focusing on her target. There are two bows leaned against the wall beside her lane and three quivers of arrows, all fletched in different colors. But in her hands is an Excalibur pistol, and down the end is a paper silhouette. She stands like a professional, takes aim, relaxes, and squeezes off a half-dozen shots into a neat pattern before the gun clicks empty. She ejects the clip and steps back, pulling off her safety earmuffs and letting them dangle around her neck while she searches for another. ]