The penthouse lounge and roof deck of the House of Storms are lit with colorful mood lighting this evening, the air kami animating the loudspeakers are thrumming excitedly to the bass line of someone's party playlist, and the winning case of Black Hemlock beer is chilling in an icy cooler in a place of honor, surrounded by snacks and lots of other canned and bottled drinks (many of them imported from Mantis worlds). Cute Firefly and Mantis stickers decorate the disposable cups and plates set out nearby.

Real flames dance in the rustic bamboo torches lining the railing of the roof deck and encircling the outdoor jacuzzi, their spillproof fuel burning with a sweet-spicy scent to drive away any insects that venture this high above the ground. Oshidama balls are placed here and there for the guests to mess around with--mostly decorative, since any attempt at a proper game would suffer from lack of space and risk sending the ball flying off the roof, down to the real beach several stories below.

As one of the two hostesses, Seika is there from the start, dressed in a yukata loosely belted over a sporty swimming costume and with one of the bottles of prize Black Hemlock, sweating condensation, held in one hand.

Guests can find a dressing room if they wish to change into their own swimsuits, and can borrow a yukata (printed with one of several modernist variations on Mantis heraldry) as a cover-up.

The other champion was also holding a beer, bold gold make up on her lips and eyes, wearing a cherry pink yukata with a firefly motif for now.

She seemed to be in good spirits.

Seika catches Sakura for quick a victory fistbump. "Have fun tonight, you earned it!"

Rei had one set of beachwear but at least it looked good. He emerged from the changing room wearing it, declining one of the yukatas. Beach rules here, or so he felt.

Smiling, he approached the two winners. "Good evening, Yoritomo-sama, Hotaru-san." He bowed. "Congratulations again. This is quite the party you've put together." He took the time to smile at each of them, one at a time.

"Usagi Rei-san!" Seika smiles up at the handsome Hare from the sake tasting. "Glad you could make it."

She'd caught his name later on, and of course noticed him at the oshidama tournament. He and Susumu Yuji had made quite a team... I mean, they played terribly. But quite a team.

"Thanks. It's just a little last-minute thing, honestly," she says with possibly unwarranted modesty, waving a hand at the casually decorated (but still decorated, and amply stocked with party supplies) room around her. "No time to get fancy, but then, fancy would be weird for this occasion anyway, right?"

The Firefly artist wasn't going to miss Sakura's victory party, even if she'd never met the Mantis involved. Sakura knew everyone, it seemed. Hotaru-sama'd definitely made a good call snapping her up, even if she hadn't helped him out of a jam.

Her two-piece suit is not particularly revealing, but certainly reveals the stark metal and duraplast of her prosthetic. The soft pastels of the suit clash a bit with the stark metal, but at least it's a modern style, having been purchased a few days prior just for the event.

She waves to Sakura as she leaves the dressing room, then, seeing Rei queued up for greetings, she beelines for the drinks and snacks before getting bogged down in conversation. She's been through that dance often enough. The push of a button pops a rather functional drink holder from the side of cane. She'll have to be careful with open cups more than 3/4 full, but it's perfect for a can. The cute stickers elicit a grin.

Then there's space for proper bows and congratulations. "Great tournament, both of you." To Seika she adds, "Hotaru-Tsuyo, roommate to your winnin' partner here. Good ta meetcha."

Rei glanced around again, then smiled at Seika. "Well, in that case, I guess I just have to compliment your style. I very much like what I'm seeing."

Glancing over to the table, Rei gestured towards the cooler in its place of honor. "May I?" He asked. "I wouldn't mind enjoying a small taste of your victory." Another quick bow, aimed at both Seika and Sakura.

He greeted Tsuyo with a bow as well, adding nothing more as introductions seemed to be being handled without need for him.

Usagi Rei wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 5:17 pm

Rei glanced around again, then smiled at Seika. "Well, in that case, I guess I just have to compliment your style. I very much like what I'm seeing."

Glancing over to the table, Rei gestured towards the cooler in its place of honor. "May I?" He asked. "I wouldn't mind enjoying a small taste of your victory." Another quick bow, aimed at both Seika and Sakura.

He greeted Tsuyo with a bow as well, adding nothing more as introductions seemed to be being handled without need for him.

Hotaru Tsuyo wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 5:13 pm

Then there's space for proper bows and congratulations. "Great tournament, both of you." To Seika she adds, "Hotaru-Tsuyo, roommate to your winnin' partner here. Good ta meetcha."

Seika semi-bows, the informal gesture a compromise between the conflicting demands of 'I am a diplomat meeting a new counterpart' and 'I am at a pool party in my swimsuit.'

"Nice to meet you, too, Hotaru-san. Thanks for helping keep my partner here in fighting shape, then." Her bold-painted lips smile playfully. "Say, there sure are lots of Hotaru in town this winter, aren't there?"

She waves Rei toward the refreshment table. "Sure, help yourself. We couldn't drink it all ourselves... well, no, I lie, we totally could, but it would take a while and it wouldn't be as fun as sharing."

Usagi Rei wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 5:17 pm

He greeted Tsuyo with a bow as well, adding nothing more as introductions seemed to be being handled without need for him.

Her grin definitely seems like all is handled.

Yoritomo Seika wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 5:43 pm

"Nice to meet you, too, Hotaru-san. Thanks for helping keep my partner here in fighting shape, then." Her bold-painted lips smile playfully. "Say, there sure are lots of Hotaru in town this winter, aren't there?"

This Hotaru chuckles. "Well, one of 'em was born here," she gestures to Sakura, "and I've been here the past year puttin' up a large art installation for the court season. I'll be gone after court." She pauses a bit, thinking. "Otherwise, we've got a new world to build and're bein' pretty aggressive about getting what's needed for the project. It's efficient to hit the big courts for that kind of thing...see all the clans at once and all."

She gestures around the space. "Really like the decorations here. Mantis got some good engineers in ta set this up from the start, but the little touches make the party."

Sakura bumped Seika's fist and took a swig.

"Hai, good jib!"

"Awww, Tsuyo-sama, don't remind me you'll soon leave me." She was genuinely sad at the prospect.

"You are my second best roommate!"

She gestured to Seika. "Tsuyo-sama is stilltaking commissions for projects. Want a Watanabe asteroid sculpture somewhere? She's your woman."

Hotaru Sakura wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 8:22 pm

Sakura bumped Seika's fist and took a swig.

"Hai, good jib!"

"Awww, Tsuyo-sama, don't remind me you'll soon leave me." She was genuinely sad at the prospect.

"You are my second best roommate!"

She gestured to Seika. "Tsuyo-sama is stilltaking commissions for projects. Want a Watanabe asteroid sculpture somewhere? She's your woman."

Tsuyo laughs. "Haven't had a corporate commission yet, that would be new."

"Sakura-san...you'll just have to work on finding a new favorite roommate, or see if you can finagle your fave into rating a room at the embassy." She was pretty sure that was still too subtle a hint. That pair needed a good engine wrench of awareness to their collective heads. "Plenty of time though," she gestures gently with a hand holding a sticker-bedecked plate. "Few months left before the season's done."

Mariko did tell Sakura that she would 'maybe' show up, which often meant a 'no' in most cases. However, she couldn't deny all of the status and star power who were very likely to show up to the event. Maybe this will actually turn out to be fun, although she wasn't exactly going to bank on it. The Scorpion would make her appearance dressed in a red beach dress and sunglasses with a large enough handbag to keep her swimwear in case she needed to change into it. She actually wasn't so picky on the choice of drinks offered and picked herself up a bottle from the cooler.

First of the performers from the earlier concert to arrive, Hinata wasted no time getting changed into his swimsuit (this style again, but in two tone blue) and bounced over to Seika and Sakura cheerily.

"Hi hi Yoritomo-samaaa!!, Hotaru-samaaa!!!!"

As he picked up a bottle for himself, Rei lingered by the cooler a few moments, long enough to exchange pleasantries and a smile with the Bayushi actress before returning to the bar area.

Smiling, he opened the beer, offering a clink of the bottle to anyone who felt like it.

"Oh, we can rent rooms out? I didn't know that!"

Rooming with Yurei would be neat, her humor, her warmth, her smell...

Seeing Mariko she waved enthusiasticaly. "Thanks for coming Bayushi-sama! Looking good!"

Seeing Asahina Hinata, Sakura almost squeed. "ASAHINA-SAMA! YOU CAME?! THAT WAS AN AMAZING CONCERT!!! BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE!"

Hinata practically beamed.

"Oh it was sooooooooooo much fun. I'm glad you liked it!"

"It was seriousky amazing! When I heard Drop, my body ivered!" She tried to mimic Hinata's entrance, badly.

"Asahina-sama is so cool!"

Jun had heard about the Mantis party from Sakura earlier in the day, and with little else to do with his evening after the concert he decided to attend. He came dressed for the occasion, though it was perhaps lucky for him that the people in the store he visited could make suggestions. He'd been told he should dress better on occasion, but lhe wasn't very good at it.

Things had just gotten started it seemed liek when he arrived, and before joinign conversation he made hs way towards the bar. Might as well get a drink before he tried to mingle. Right?

With so many around, Koyuki felt safer not having her things on her person and so stashed most of it away securely and entrusted to the Mantis staff. Changing instead into her swimwear and adopting one of the yukata provided. With a sash she makes do and ties the Yukata to her body half-way so that the upper portion of her body and swimsuit were still exposed. Notably, with a lucky glance this did leave a space where her shoulders were uncovered a bit and the dragon-body of the tattoo that curled around her shoulders was noticeable perfectly at the curling point where it comes back over her shoulder to her front from traveling onto her back via her upper arm.

For now, she stalks through the party without any particular destination or person in mind. Just moving about to get a sense of who was here and who wasn't.

Not that she was going to do more than shake her head with a slight grin at that answer, but Sakura's response to Hinata's arrival would have cut out any other response. Stepping aside to allow the fangirling to commence, she finds a comfortable spot to rest her plate and snack while watching the post-concert crowd flow in.