[closed] party at oz's house!

[anklets]

Date & Time: backdated to August 10th, afternoon
Location: apartment 407
Characters: friends and possibly some... unwanted visitors...
Summary: we celebrate Lavi's birthday by letting all the weirdos in
Warnings: n/a

Invitations have been whispered and confections baked with some measure of care (graciously, it remains that only one kitchen fire will have been set in the housing commons today), and Lenalee has placed her lure in Lavi's hands and trusted him to reel himself in.

It's- a little lacking, were she to place it against the Order's parties with intent to compare, but she is pleased with the work she and Oz have dedicated to the sitting room, sparsely decorated and laboriously cleaned (she'd become a little invested in it).

Comments

[velveteened]

( he does have some self-control!!! )

But still! Not everyone can do that.

( he may or may not be a case in point. as it is, he moves to stay somewhere out of the way, but not exactly be unobtrusive either. )

[boundbydevotion]

[Another look that's slightly on the nonplussed side. You're very free with the flattery aren't you... He nods and starts searching for the measuring cups.]

I suppose that may be...

[velveteened]

Ah, the other cabinet.

( he offers helpfully, gesturing if link looks for direction. said other cabinet may or may not have measuring cups — oz is far from precognizant after all — but it does have a few baking supplies, kept together for practicality's sake. )

You know, I didn't realize Allen had an older brother.

( referencing looking after walker and of course he doesn't believe they're siblings for a second. but it's an innocuous way to get the ball rolling, and people can be so forthcoming when correcting a mistake sometimes. )

1/2

[boundbydevotion]

--Thank you [Fetching the cups and supplies]

[boundbydevotion]

[Stopping at the second statement...]

Brother? That is an odd conclusion to come to...

[velveteened]

Is it?

( innocently, head canted. )

Well, it's family that's supposed to look out for each other. You said you weren't a friend of Lavi's, ( implied it anyway ) but it seems strange that a friend of Allen's wouldn't be a friend of his.

[boundbydevotion]

[Link frowns a bit. He supposes he really should consider what and how much exactly to say...]

We are not as familiar as family... Ah, I suppose I didn't introduce myself though, my apologies. I'm Howard Link.

[velveteened]

It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Oz Vessalius.

( polite pleasantries, spilling out with the ease of a great deal of practice. the sorts of things a duke house's heir is expected to be able to do, really, greet every person with the same bright and friendly demeanor no matter what the circumstance. )

But you are from the same place, then?

[boundbydevotion]

We are, yes. My relation to him is a bit difficult to explain, as he is from an earlier point than I am...

[velveteened]

— so he doesn't know you yet?

[boundbydevotion]

[Stills a little, then sighing out. It's his own fault for taking this tack to avoid explaining in too much detail...]

Not very well, at any rate...

[velveteened]

( which means allen may not have been aware that he'd needed looking after in the first place. )

That must've been a surprise. ( after a beat — ) For both of you, I mean.

[boundbydevotion]

[It had been a surprise, but there's no need to admit it too plainly. He'd found out well before approaching Allen and ultimately it didn't change that he had a job to do.]

It's fine. I've no interest in explaining how things were between us before, his experience here is what matters.

[velveteened]

( that makes him laugh for just a moment )

That's a kind thing to say.

[boundbydevotion]

[Maybe it's embarrassment, but his brows furrow and he just looks kind of grouchy for it.]

Is it? [Maybe it was done out of consideration but he's certainly telling himself it's just because it's an impossible thing to ask for everything to be the same.]

[velveteened]

It really is!

( his exuberance grows to match the grouch which, really, he finds a bit amusing. )

Not just anyone would say that.

[boundbydevotion]

[Why is this happening. Stop that.]

Surely there's no point to doing otherwise.

[velveteened]

If someone wanted to, ( matter of fact and mild ) I'm sure they could come up with a point. Maybe something like, "since we're not supposed to be here anyway — "

[boundbydevotion]

I'm certain all I've done is handled things the same way that most of Walker's acquaintances have handled it...

[velveteened]

Allen's lucky to have so many good friends!

[boundbydevotion]

[For a moment he's tempted to point out that he isn't Allen's friend, but he sighs and lets that pass. They're talking about the other Exorcists at any rate.]

I suppose so. Have you not met many of them?

[velveteened]

I've met some of them, but I don't think I could say that I know everyone. I live with Lenalee, though, so I know her best.

( seems like a slightly cold way to put it, even to him. we're friends, she'd said, and then do you know what that means to me? )