New Year's Party

[yinyangwizard]

Abe no Seimei's house resembles a typical Heian mansion, with its central south-facing hall and wings connected by bridges and walkways. The entire structure is raised above the ground on wooden pillars and topped with steep, cypress-shingled roofs. There are certain modern conveniences in the house, but most of these are tastefully hidden - except for the bathrooms which are, of necessity, fairly easy to recognize.

The house sits on a few acres of carefully manicured, wall-girded ground that include a pond and stream, a moon bridge, stands of bamboo, a rock garden, and a stunning variety of trees and flowering plants. Although it may be the middle of winter in the real world, the host has seen to it that the house and grounds themselves are in late spring. The air is comfortably cool and fragrant with various flowering plants. All the sliding screens and shutters that normally separate the inside of the main hall from the outside are open, allowing one to step directly from the wide verandah into the house itself. Both the house and grounds are lit with braziers and strings of colored lanterns.

The space within the main hall, rather than being divided up by screens and curtains in the typical way, has been left mostly open. Tatami mats, cushions, and low tables are clumped here and there about the room, as well as on the verandah itself. Spirit-servants in human shape stand ready to serve food and drinks. There are a couple of open hibachis and a sushi bar manned by excellent mortal chefs who will wake up tomorrow with memories of working at a fancy party and substantial payment for their work, but with no precise idea of who they were working for or who they were serving. In one corner of the main hall, a group of spirit musicians - some more human-looking than others - play music on stringed instruments, flutes and drums.

[OOC: Mingle! Threadhop! Explore the garden! I will be here tagging from the start of the party until at least midnight eastern time. After that, I will be tagging and threading intermittently here until January 5th.]
Once Seimei has brought his guests from Milliways through the torii gate that marks the entrance to his estate, he holds up his hands to get everyone's attention. "I am happy and honored that you have all come to join this New Year celebration at my humble house. The grounds and main hall are open to you. Should you require anything, please do not hesitate to ask me or my servants." He grins broadly. "This party is meant to help us begin the new year with a light heart and an enthusiastic spirit. So please do enjoy yourselves!"

Comments

[yinyangwizard.livejournal.com]

"My! That's quite a long time from when we met last," Seimei observes. "I am glad you still remember me, and I hope you will enjoy an old-fashioned place such as this. Such houses as these are only museums now."

[500-year-shaman.livejournal.com]

"You might be surprised," he replies. "This time around, I was actually born in a house not too different from this."

He shrugs.

"My clan has always kept very traditional though."

[ostro_goth]

"I am Teja, son of Tagila; I was the last king of the Ostrogoths in Italy. I died in battle, on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, in the year 552 of Christian reckoning."

That holds all that any need to know about him.

[yinyangwizard.livejournal.com]

Seimei's eyebrows lift. "552? That is ancient even by my standards - centuries before I was born, and even before the teachings of the Buddha came to this land."

[yinyangwizard.livejournal.com]

"It is always good to meet someone who does. So few people now know the history of this land, or its traditions. But I suppose it is useless to mourn - change is the way of most things. And I must say, many interesting things have happened since the time I came from."

[fiery_ring]

"Do all of your guests know about the bar?" Carlotta asks.

[ostro_goth]

"I am one of the oldest, in Milliways," Teja says.

[500-year-shaman.livejournal.com]

"You mean like the way humans continue to come up with more terrible and violent ways to kill each other, and tear apart nature?" Hao asks.

[yinyangwizard.livejournal.com]

"All the people at this party have been to Milliways. And you don't need to worry about anyone serving at the party." His staff are fine with strange guests, and the mortals preparing food at the sushi bar and hibachi are under an enchantment.

[yinyangwizard.livejournal.com]

"Unfortunately, yes. They come up with some very fascinating things too, though. Our people have found new ways to tell stories, new and better ways to build things. And I can guarantee that you will see some startling transformations in the next decade or so, where you are from. I won't say any more about it than that."

[fiery_ring]

"That's all right then. I didn't want to get you in trouble for your kind invitation."

[500-year-shaman.livejournal.com]

Hao laughs.

"Don't worry about me; I can read the future as well as any onmyouji ever born. And I know for a fact that in five years, things will be very different."

[ostro_goth]

"We would be truly strange to your people, one assumes?" Teja says.

[yinyangwizard.livejournal.com]

Seimei nods. "I wouldn't bring you out into the mortal world without considerable preparation. Here, you may be strange, but not in a way that would cause any difficulties."

[yinyangwizard.livejournal.com]

Seimei chuckles. "Of course. Silly thing of me to forget. But there are so few who practice onmyodo these days, or any other kind of magic. More than most people would think, but still very few. I have forgotten what to expect."

[500-year-shaman.livejournal.com]

"In my world, there are as many as there eve were, but the numbers of humans have increased by so many..." he says.

[nothawkingbird.livejournal.com]

"That means you gotta wait," Gentle nudge to Will.

"He's not very patient sometimes," Kate added to Seimei with a grin.

[will_scarlett]

"Course I am."

[fiery_ring]

"It must have been awfully difficult to organise." Carlotta says. "Why, just smuggling his Highness and Demeter to my home was hard enough!"

[ostro_goth]

"If the door is within Abe-sama's house?" Teja says. "It would be manageable, as long as his servants ask no questions."

[yinyangwizard.livejournal.com]

"Indeed, I can connect directly to Milliways from here. That torii gate you passed through when you arrive can be used as a doorway there - and to other places. My servants, you do not need to worry about. They know where you come from and it does not bother them. To a denizen of the spirit world, not all that many things are strange."

[yinyangwizard.livejournal.com]

Seimei smirks a bit and clears his throat. "You will excuse me if I choose not to participate in this debate. In any case, there is plenty to keep you entertained before the fireworks and chocolate. There is fine food to eat, sake and plum wine, and a quintet of acrobatic monkey spirits who will put on a performance."

[yinyangwizard.livejournal.com]

"Here, there are fewer people who wish to study such things. They don't believe any more. Those with an interest may not have the resources or guidance they need to learn. For the latter, at least, I can do something, and that is one of my ongoing projects."

[fiery_ring]

"This is a spirit world? I thought we were in Japan."

She looks around at the servents.

"You must be a very wealthy man, Mr... Abe-sama." she corrects herself, assuming that Teja is correct. "My grandmother has four, and that's considered rather a lot where I'm from."

[ostro_goth]

"In old times, one had more servants," Teja says. "All the work was done by hand!"