maskormenacelogs | [Closed]

[Closed]

WHO: The WicDiv Pantheon
WHERE: A ritzy De Chima full service spa and massage
WHEN: Early September
WHAT: Inanna decides to spoil everyone
WARNINGS: It's the pantheon, so discussion of heavy topics including mental health, trauma, past violence, etc

[ Members of the Pantheon will find vibrantly glittering letters carefully tucked into their postboxes during the first week of September. Why Inanna decided to send letters instead of just a group text is anyone's guess. Maybe (probably) they just enjoy a little extra flair sometimes! Inside the letters, Inanna's fellow gods will find invitations to a luxury spa resort in De Chima's city center. (Cassandra's letter includes a note that Dio has also been invited, and she wouldn't want to miss a chance to relax with him, would she?)

If they actually decide to show up at the spa, they will find Inanna has arranged for a decadent array of treatments for them to choose from. There are hot stone massages, holistic massages with aromatherapy, an obscene amount of different facial treatments to pick between—do you want a mud treatment? Or maybe a little acupuncture? The list goes on to include manicures, exfoliation treatments, and a number of other options that some of the Pantheon may have not even heard of before. Is anyone brave enough to find out what a hay bath is? Does Inanna even know??

To top it all off, there is a generously catered lunch with dishes ranging from pizza poppers and decadent brownies to fine platters of mixed green salads, lightly sauteed shellfish, and rustic fire-roasted chicken. With everything provided for, there's nothing left for members of the Pantheon to do but (finally) sit back and enjoy the opportunity to relax. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Look, Inanna. She gets your game.

Clearly she knows her letter was tailored- Inanna knows her well enough to know she'll want to make sure Dio is relaxing. But she also knows Inanna must want her to relax, too, and that was very carefully placed bait. Bait that worked. But bait!

So she's telling herself she's not going to waste her time by staying long, and honestly, she isn't. She feels guilty when she lets go too much, even now, even after all that's happened. It feels wrong to act like she can just fuck off somewhere when people could be getting hurt under her nose- that's what last month felt like to her, after all. And on top of the apocalypse potentially encroaching? She's not taking that risk.

So if someone wants to see her, they'll have to find her mulling near the food table...drinking the extremely good coffee, because of course she is. Okay, if they're extremely lucky, they might find her eating a brownie. Might. Frankly, she looks like she's here for business rather than pleasure, unless something can change her mind. ]

[Here comes something.]

Is that all you're having? [Luci has an entire plate full of those pizza poppers, like she's a child at a buffet, and is eating them like they're trying to escape.]

Why are you still dressed? [Obviously she's not-- she's been living in this robe for the past few hours.]

Edited 2018-09-06 16:41 (UTC)

[ Oh, of course Luci would come catch her here. Finishing up this brownie, too. The way she acts, Cass might as well consider this blackmail material. ]

Christ, do you have to word it that way. [ Of course Luci does. She knows this. She's not even pretending it's a question. ]

Look, I'm just making sure you people haven't burned this entire place down yet. Which you haven't, thank god, but I'm still not ruling it out.

[Luci gives Cassandra an even look as she licks tomato sauce off her thumb.]

I'm in a bathrobe eating glorified pizza rolls.

Hey, I'm not just talking about you. Maybe someone else wants to destroy a city today. [ She wipes off her mouth with a napkin, grumbling. ] Or you could burn something down while wearing a bathrobe. You never know.

[ She frowns at Luci's plate. She shouldn't even ask, but. ] What exactly does those pizza rolls being glorified entail?

[ It's a game that works.

Inanna looks satisfied—smug, almost—to see her lingering reluctantly by the buffet. They've just come from one of the skin care sessions, leaving them looking...actually about as radiant as normal. It's been a little while since they've been as radiant as normal, so it's still a notable improvement, at least. And it means that the smile they offer up as they reach past her for a cream puff is that much more genuine and at ease. ]

You know, I wasn't sure if you'd come or not. I'm glad to see you decided to indulge a little for once.

[ She's certainly socialized with Inanna here far more than she ever did before they "died" at home, but it's still been a while since she's seen much of them- and it takes her a moment to realize just how much better they look. It's reassuring, in a way; it's never nice to see Inanna drained. She could use some of that herself, but she's not going to embrace it. ]

Thought I'd make sure this didn't turn into another disaster. For once, it looks like I don't need to yell at anybody.

[ She washes some brownie down with what's maybe her third cup of coffee. It's really good. It's absurdly good. She cannot take another. Not while anyone is looking. ]

What kind of disaster could we have at a luxury spa? A hot wax accident? [ That actually sounds pretty unpleasant now that they've said it, even with their divine imperviousness to injury. ]

I didn't invite you so you could keep being the responsible one. You need to spoil yourself a little too.

I was thinking something more large-scale. [ But she mumbles that. She might not want to push it. Besides- despite her misgivings, she's grateful. ]

Assuming this doesn't end in disaster...everyone needed this. Thanks, Inanna. [ At least for the brownies. She's loosening up somewhat, but she's definitely not there yet. She puts down her mug and crosses her arms, clearly trying not to give up too much. ]

Trust me, none of us have the energy to cause a disaster today. [ More accurately, Inanna was sure no one wanted to pick any fights with Inanna and Dio both trying to take a day to relax, regardless of energy levels. ]

I'm glad it's doing you some good too. Are you going to try any of the treatments, or is the buffet enough for you?

But you'll have the energy for one after this.

[ She leans against the wall a bit. She's tired, and she's giving it away more than she thinks she is. ]

The food's fine. I've got things to do, anyway. Nothing happening here I should know about?

I could have my very own nip slip scandal. [ Their tone is just wry enough to give away the joke, as if going bare chested almost daily weren't enough of a tip off already. ]

Oh, there's plenty to know about. Jaclyn, the aromatherapy masseuse, has hands to die for. She's even better than the hot stone treatment. ...And I'd advise against the hay bath. I was curious, but it's—it's just strange. And itchy.

That wouldn't-

[ Wait, hold up, that's the joke. Her brain isn't moving as fast as she would like today. She drops the topic, hoping they won't notice. ]

Do I want to know what a hay bath is? Because when I tried to do investigative journalism, that was not the sort of thing I was interested in.

It's exactly what it sounds like. You lay in damp hay, and it's meant to be rejuvenating somehow. Not worth the time unless you really want to try it for the novelty.

[ If Inanna cared about having regrets, they might actually feel bad about even picking it as an option. ]

Well, come on. Now you have to tell me if it was rejuvenating at all. Not even slightly?

[ She's got a dry, sort of sarcastic look on her face. Close to a smile. Progress. ]

It managed to be soft even though it was itchy, so that was nice? And the smell wasn't bad. Like freshly cut grass, so that part was a little relaxing.

[ They flash a cheeky smile of their own. ]

Maybe you should try so we can compare notes.

Edited 2018-09-21 01:21 (UTC)

Ugh, no, I am not being seen like that.

[ She says, but at least it seems to put her in a better mood. She pauses, looks around, her expression shifting. She knows she's already made her worries clear, but... ]

Hey, seriously- is there anything I should know about? I mean, is anyone acting weird? Doing anything worrying? You've been here all day, you'd have seen it before me.

[ Inanna's expression softens, more sympathetic now. After the hellish time they've all had, it's no surprise that it's difficult to be anything but on edge. ]

I promise there's nothing. Everything is just...normal. As normal as it can be for a bunch of gods, anyway.

Do we have a normal? Normal sounds like it's unusual for us. That's the kind of shit that happens when everything's about to boil over.

[ She's tempted to reach for something else to eat, but decides against it. But more coffee is starting to tempt her, at this point, and she glances over, not looking at Inanna. ]

Not that shit with us could boil over any more than it already has.

We have a normal. It's just been a long...long time since we got to have it. Maybe even before you ascended. [ And what a depressing thought that was. ]

But today is definitely the closest we've been in ages. We all owe it to ourselves to enjoy it.

[ She nods, glancing at them briefly before looking away again. They've got a point. ] Before anyone died, you mean. Or..."died." [ For once she knows better than to make airquotes; they're in her tone. ] Whatever we're calling it.

[ But enjoying herself after the last month- after so much happened that she's still so sure she could have stopped- doesn't feel quite right. If she had trouble relaxing before the Shamtheon happened, now it feels near-impossible. She pushes herself off the wall she's leaning on. ]

You all should. I wasn't going to stay, so- [ She knows they'll object, so she's trying to play this as firmly as possible. ] Do you need anything from me?

Yeah...before that. [ Ouch. Inanna does their best not to look too affected by the reminder, but there's a little tightness to their smile now. ]

Do I need anything? [ They hum thoughtfully and rock back on their heels, feigning having to actually think about this. ] I'm guessing asking for some company to get a facial isn't going to work?

[ Oh, why did she even ask. That's the most Inanna move. ]

I can...I don't know, sit and talk to you while you get one? But nobody is poking at my face today.

[ And now that she's thinking about it. ] And I'm a bit tired of people asking if this makeup is part of my skin or something. Don't you ever get that?

[ Look, she knows aliens. ]

[Thank fuck.]

[After being used as a chewtoy during Woden's Fabulous Shamtheon Debacle, Luci has been simultaneously trying to clean up the mess in Hades while also recovering. It's a little embarrassing, to be honest, but she keeps telling herself that if she'd really wanted to put the hurt on all those sad, brainwashed people, she would have been fine.]

[...except maybe in Cassandra-Shiva's case. That had been pretty unreal.]

[In general, since the whole thing ended (with the big reveal that Luci really had no stake in, but acknowledged was fairly fucked up) she's been a bit of a wound up spring with no outlet. Laura shouldn't have to deal with her when she was dealing with her ruined base of operations and other things. Inanna seemed to have their hands full too, seemed more tired than usual and stretched during that announcement. Yuri and Yusuke had dealt with enough of her for a while now, since she'd shown up bleeding at their door. And that... was pretty much the end of the short list.]

[Maybe hot water would be her friend.]

[Luci does the whole nine yards-- massage, facial, sauna, mani-pedi, getting her skin sloughed off, her favorite is the hot tub though and she spends near hours in there on the verge of falling asleep. The various bruises and cuts on her body are nearly healed, and she's making no effort to hide them as she parades around in her robe where it's polite and nothing where clothing is optional (she's being good here, she's too tired to play the usual games). Why should she hide them anyway? She's fine, she's walking around, no problem.]

[And when she's not in one of her many treatments, she eats. Everything is delicious after all, and it's there to be eaten, so why not pile a tiny plate full of stuff and wolf it down like someone's about to clear the spread?]

[This will make her feel better. Getting her ass kicked several ways to Sunday will be a distant memory if she just takes it easy for a bit.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Closed]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject