A Very Nexus Reception

[smartass_captain]

To all the friends of the happy grooms, PINpoint messages have already been sent weeks ago inviting them to expect quite the street party arranged in the commons of the Nexus. Guests have been invited to bring an appetite--both for food and for a social adventure. Nirnish weddings are public affairs, after all. While the ceremony has had to be somewhat sequestered for the sake of keeping the existence of Other Worlds a secret, neither Felix nor Jim would want to leave out their interdimensional friends entirely. Having a reception party arranged in the Nexus became the natural plan of action.

Overnight large sections of the Commons are transformed via diligent craftsmanship and quite a lot of magic from those who’ve volunteered. Lanterns representing the Divines are hung along every lamp post, bringing at least the idea of warmth even if the flames are too small to heat their surroundings alone. Bardic tunes carry in the air as readily as the scent of food and drink. Past banners of red and black, blue and white the people gather.

For both grooms this is nearly a continuation of the day before. They’ve had the chance to sleep off the nerves of their ceremony. Today is entirely for celebration--uninhibited celebration at that. No more minding what is said and isn’t. No more pretending to be anything other than who they are. Jim’s traded out his Nirnish finery for a suit and tie, garments he’s much more familiar with. Felix is staying with his native clothing; though he may have dressed down a little from his wedding clothes, the conjurer’s dressed in fitted breeches and his best fur-trimmed coat and boots, the soft hide dyed blue to match his tunic. By their side sits the conjurer’s spectral wolf familiar, ears pricked at the gathering.

As the guests find their ways over it will be easy to spot their friends amidst all the decor along with many other avenues with which to enjoy themselves….

Greetings
Food and Drink
Music and Dancing
Bonfire Entertainment
Party Games

((Links to all relevent wedding Prose can be found Here!))

Comments

[ididntasktogetmade]

Live bands are a novelty that Rocket doesn't quite get, but the tunes blasting from the tiny boombox is more his style, so that's where the raccoon can be found, throwing back a glass or two of liquor and watching Groot dance in one of the clearer spaces.

The treenager is still a little ungainly, his arms and legs a little longer than his body probably needs, but all the better for flailing around. What he lacks in grace he makes up for in enthusiasm, waving his arms in wide arcs that encourage people not to get too close, lest they get accidentally slapped across the face with a stray branch.

[smartass_captain]

"The doing is strange!" This close to the speaker Jaylah has to shout to be heard, but this doesn't trouble the cadet in the slightest. She excels at shouting. Takes quite a lot of pleasure in it as a matter of fact. She'll point toward Groot when she's got Rocket's attention.

"Is it having fun?"

[ididntasktogetmade]

It's probably not good for either of their hearing to be this close to such loud speakers, but Rocket's mods haven't failed him yet, so that's not going to stop him from enjoying the tunes. His ears twitch a bit when he realizes someone's trying to talk to him, and he cranes his neck back a bit to look up at the young lady who looks like she's having a good time already. And isn't reaching out to pet him, like some people do.

"Oh yeah, this is his element," he calls back up to her, flashing sharp teeth in a grin. "He's been dancin' since he was this big," Rocket adds, holding his hands about six inches apart. "You the dancing type?"

[smartass_captain]

She doesn't have to stay this close to the speakers but her little boom box is here and she's been told she's in charge of any requests that are going to play through it. What if someone broke her music box? Completely unacceptable. She will stay and she Will bring the beats and shouting.

"I did not think plants would move so well!" It's such a curious thing. Color her intrigued. "Not much to dance about." She replies after only a few moments. "I have not tried."

[ididntasktogetmade]

"Most don't. Groot's special." It may be hard to hear the pride in his voice when Rocket says so, due to the volume, but there's no missing it in his body language.

"You wanna try? I bet he could show ya how. Watch out for the branches though."

[smartass_captain]

Groot. The tree's name is Groot. She can work with that. This small fuzzy one seems to be his caretaker. At the very least a friend. It stands like a parent stands; for a moment Jaylah hurts in her chest but it is a good pain. The pain only memories of loved ones can bring.

"I will do more than try. I will succeed." She stands tall when she exclaims as much. "Will you show him that I mean to do?"

[ididntasktogetmade]

Rocket eyes her with a little smirk on his muzzle. She's the spirited type, isn't she? She reminds him of Drax, a bit. Well, maybe Drax crossed with Mantis, and wow he didn't want to go there at all. "Oh yeah, sure," he answers quickly, patting his hand against her leg and going to nab Groot's attention. "Hey buddy, got a dance partner for you."

"I am Groot?" The treenager blinks at her with those big lantern eyes of his, shuffling his feet a little like kids do when they're a little shy. But he's never been the type to let his insecurities keep him down, and Rocket loves him for that. "I am Groot," he says, sounding a little bolder, and holds out a hand to beckon her onto the dance floor.

[smartass_captain]

It's not a far off assessment of Jaylah's personality. She follows Rocket out to the dance floor while being careful to stay out of the tree's reach. If she has to she can duck under him, pretend it's a combat drill. But it's easier just to avoid the flailing altogether. Her grasp of Galactic Standard is better than it was, and for some reason words come easier in this strange place anyway. She nods.

"They call me Jaylah. I will learn your dance and you will not be alone."

[ididntasktogetmade]

“And I’m Rocket.” What the hell, they’re all swapping names tonight. You never know who might be worth knowing after all, either as someone who owes you a favor, or as a mark.

Rocket doesn’t join them in the actual dance, but he does hang out nearby, tapping a foot to the rhythm and humming under his breath. Groot, meanwhile, waits to make sure Jaylah is watching before he begins his dance again. It’s not so much one that he’s learned as one he’s invented on his own, mostly sticking to the beat of the music and getting his entire body involved. He’s a little more mindful of his limbs this time, though, not wanting to accidentally whap his new friend in her face.

[smartass_captain]

The tree-child Groot has a lot more range of motion than even Jaylah does, but she's never turned down a chance to learn a new skill before now. Rocket's foot-tapping is more in line with things she has seen at bars and clubs around the Academy. Even the most eager student dancers don't dance quite the way Groot does, after all.

For the first couple of songs Jaylah tries her best to mimic the movements Groot is making on the dance floor. Fluid, expressive dancing that Jaylah doesn't quite understand. It's enjoyable, enough to make her crack a smile even!

Give her a song full of beats and shouting though, and Jaylah stops a moment to exchange a look with Groot. Do you sense it too, Tree child? The urge to headbang?

[rekindledtitan]

There's always someone who isn't paying attention. In this case, it's the passing Titan who gets a wooden smack against her armor while she's wandering up to check out the band. She starts a bit, swinging round to blink at the gangly... young... tree-person?

Blaze tilts her head, amused and curious in equal measure. When the music switches up to a track with a sharper beat though, she laughs and waves for his attention.

"Hey, kid! You seen this one?" She freezes in place, then starts matching the moves of the robot dance to the beat. No-one can dance it like an actual robot- but she's betting a walking tree can put his own spin on the theme.

[ididntasktogetmade]

Whoops. “I am Groot,” Groot apologizes, and though he can’t exactly blush, he tilts his head a little in embarrassment. It’s pretty obvious he didn’t see her there. At least she doesn’t look likely to bruise or welt up?

He’s puzzled at first when she calls to him, but his big lantern eyes go wide as he watches her dance, far more rigid and mechanized than anyone he’s ever seen outside of those android ladies on Contraxia that he definitely wasn’t supposed to be watching. “I am Groot...”

His attempt to mimic her movements is hesitant, watching closely as he attempts to copy her, the wooden joints in his elbows and knees creaking a little as he bends to sharper angles than he’d been doing before. The little leaves along his arms sway with the motions, making it look a little more fluid than robotic.

[rekindledtitan]

Armor plating is a boon for bots who don't take care where they're going. She sure seems fine while she's watching him; in fact, she gives him a wink, grinning being outside her capabilities, and an easy "Don't worry about it."

She knows well enough it's not easy for any organic to pull the same moves as her, but the youngster's got an edge over humans when it comes to holding odd poses. She breaks her act to nod enthusiastically when he dances along, before she extends her arms and half-swivels around to show him another part of the dance, snapping and bobbing in time with the beat.

"Looking good! That's how you do it!" When he seems like he's got the swing of it, she'll pause long enough to match her timing to his, so they're moving almost in sync. Exos are about as far from automatons as one can get - but they get a strange kick out of playing pretend. Her Ghost is flitting around quietly, watching - but staying well above the dancing big folks.

[ididntasktogetmade]

Most of the Guardians aren't much for dancing. Rocket, not usually. Drax, definitely not. Mantis tries but she's not very good, and Quill... well, Quill is responsible for most of how Groot dances, but it's fairly obvious that no one ever taught him how. The Terran dances however he feels is right in the moment, and Groot's adopted that philosophy for his own entertainment.

Learning actual steps of a dance is new and exciting. Two people dancing the same way? Crazy! But he's all for it, making little noises of amusement or embarrassment when he makes a mistake, bolstered by the way she doesn't seem to mind.

He doesn't pay much attention to her Ghost, well used to little machines and automatons out and about. On the sidelines, though, Rocket is eyeing Ghost and making sure the little bot isn't a threat. Probably as harmless as a spycam, but you never know.

[rekindledtitan]

They're an odd pair, plant and machine matching steps and jerking motions. But after a few rounds Groot's clearly got the hang of it. Blaze breaks her rigid act to clap and whoop as the music ends.

"Hey, you've got a knack for this! Oh, Ghost, get 'em to play something faster. I want to show him the Sunbreakers' dance!" Ghost obligingly darts away to the sound system, though not without a little shake of his shell. Can't complain if his Guardian;s having fun. (Besides, he can kind of dance along with this one.)

The Exo winks at her newfound dancing partner as the beat kicks in heavier. "Okay, ready to try another one? This one's a battle dance!"

She'll go a bit slower at first to show him, but it's a dance to throw yourself into. Her version's extra stompy, Blaze having the opinion that if you hit the ground it damn well ought to notice.

[ididntasktogetmade]

"I am Groot!" Yes, faster! Groot is all for this. Quill is a fan of slow songs so he can sway with Gamora - or he was, anyway, now they just seem to make him sad - but Groot wants to feel the rhythm and let it come out his arms and legs. He watches with mouth agape at her footwork, those big lantern eyes getting even wider as she shuffles from side to side more fluidly than he would have expected. And the stomping! He can really feel the dance floor shake when she slams her boots down, like a very enthusiastic earthquake.

It's going to take him a few minutes to get it right though. There's so much movement! And his legs probably aren't properly grown for the full extent of it, but he does a little tweaking of his frame, lengthening the joints just enough so they have younger, supple wood at their cores. There, now he can bend better!

[volurofthehearth]

Viatorus' arm nearly gets pummelled as Runa slaps it excitedly, her eyes fixed on the dancefloor. He flinches before he can follow her gaze and hear her explain.

"There's a tree!" She gasps and then giggles. "There's a tree dancing! There's a tree dancing to the music!"

She sounds like she's about to explode so Viatorus carefully untangles her from his bruised arm. "You should go and dance with it."

"Should I?" She whips her head around to look at him hopefully, then looks to 'the tree' again. "Do you think so?"

Viatorus rubs his arm. For once he sounds pretty definite when he says, "Yes."

"Ok! Ok, I'm going to do it!" She slaps his arm one more time, oblivious to the 'oof' she gets out of him, and then trots over to the dancing tree. She bounces on the spot so as not to look too out of place while she shouts over the music, "Can I dance with you?"

[ididntasktogetmade]

What? Are they talking to him? Groot glances around to make sure there's nobody standing behind him that she might be talking to instead, then points at himself in a manner that's almost - but not quite - a little shy. "I am Groot?"

Oh, but a dance partner, though! Rocket can be such a party pooper sometimes. But Groot grew up dancing since he was a twig in a pot, and he's not about to stop now that he's grown tall enough to look more people in the eye. "I am Groot!" He gestures with his hands for her to come closer and join him, his wooden mouth curving up into a smile.

[volurofthehearth]

The first question confuses her, but the invitation doesn't. She beams excitedly, pointing to herself while she bobs. "I am Runa!"

Wow! What a wonderful welcome, and an introduction too! She laughs as she hops closer, jumping up and down with far, far too much energy for the family she's married into.

[ididntasktogetmade]

By now Groot is so very used to people not understanding what he's really saying, so he doesn't roll his eyes at her - very enthusiastic - misinterpretation of what he'd intended to convey. "I am Groot," he agrees instead, smiling and blinking those big lantern eyes at her.

Come on, Runa, it's time to dance! Groot's never been trained on how, exactly, but he's grown up watching Peter Quill groove to his Zune however he damn well pleased, so there's no shortage of confidence in how the treenager throws himself into the movements that seem right in the moment. This time he keeps better mind of his limbs, though, not wanting to hit his new dance partner.

[volurofthehearth]

Hearing people on a dancefloor is challenge enough. She doesn't expect to be encountering a language that mimics English, and for now she remains oblivious. All she can tell is that her new friend is happy to dance with her.

It's beautiful to see complete freedom and confidence. Too rare a thing to encounter often and terribly encouraging. Runa laughs and puts her own spin on his moves so that they're dancing something of a similar style. It's strange and new and she loves it. She's going to be dancing until something gives out.

[ididntasktogetmade]

There’s something to be said for not having muscles that can tire. Groot will get tired of dancing eventually, but it will take far longer for wooden joints to have enough and need a rest. In the meantime, he makes an effort to copy some of what his new friend does, a feedback loop of sorts that creates a dance that’s wholly theirs.

Rocket watches from the sidelines, his smile a little watery, not that he’d admit it if somebody confronted him. There was a while where he thought he’d never see his kid dance again, and it still feels like a miracle every time he looks at the treenager. He rubs at his eyes and wipes his fingers clean on his shirt, and watches the two of them. And the man that Groot’s dance partner was with before she abandoned him to frolic with the tree child, who doesn’t look nearly as eager to dance as the other two. Oh, look, how could they have gotten standing so close to each other? A mystery and certainly not deliberate, no sir. Ho-hum. “Not the dancing type, eh?”

[heirtothearcane]

Rocket has an easy target on his hands if he's looking to be sly. The mage is oblivious to any sidling, focusing instead on nursing the wine glass in his hands and watching Runa. Getting to watch his wife instead of generally being awkward was an unexpected benefit of getting married. One he's taken full advantage of thusfar.

Being addressed by someone he didn't know was nearby startles him out of his thoughts. He blinks down at the talking raccoon and flounders a little before finding his words again.

"Oh, um... I... I can dance..." He looks back to Runa, throwing her arms in the air and laughing like nobody's watching. "But not like that. More... formal." He looks back hopefully to his new conversational partner. "Do you waltz?"

[ididntasktogetmade]

Prepare to be disappointed, unfortunately. Rocket barks out a surprised laugh. “Waltz? Nah, that ain’t for me. Not a lotta folk short enough, for one thing.” That’s his excuse and he’s sticking to it. Doesn’t stop him from humming along, though, or singing along when no one else is listening.

He nods towards the dance floor instead, where Groot is gyrating and flailing alongside Runa in a carefree, youthful display of enthusiasm. “He’s been into grooving since he was a twig. Doesn’t get it from me. But I like to watch ‘im, you know?”

[heirtothearcane]

Viatorus opens his mouth to ask if there aren't other raccoons who like to dance, but hesitates. Walking, talking raccoons like this seem more like something out of a Fae world than American countryside. Best not accidentally insult anyone.

Thankfully, the maybe-fae has a change of conversation Viatorus can get behind. He perks up visibly, nodding along. "I know. I-I understand, I mean. I, um, I like watching Runa, too. Not in a creepy way," he adds hastily. "Just... I like to see her having fun. Especially with new people. I'm not so good at that. It's good to see nothing's stopping her from making new friends."