Work has been progressing swiftly on the reconstruction of our great city, and I hope no one is growing faint for all of our efforts. To help alleviate some of our collective weariness, my family has graciously agreed to open our home to all of you for a full-day open house at our estate in Asvanti. Anyone and everyone is very welcome to attend, so please don't hesitate to join us any time tomorrow from nine in the morning until as late into the night as we please. Hope to see you there!

~AE

Evangel Estate Open House

[OPEN THREAD][GATHERING] - Friendly meeting-place thread for characters to talk, all plots aside.

Thirty miles south of Asvanti, California -- not too far away from New SVT City -- lies the estate of Arjen and Nyteshade Evangel. It is easily visible from the road, despite the long winding drive, as it sits atop a tall hill overlooking a vast grove of trees and a quiet creek. A heavy bronze gate allows entry through a seven-foot stone wall capped with slanted, Asian-inspired tiles. The paved driveway winds up the hill to the manor itself, circling around an angelic marble fountain before doubling back on itself.

The estate itself is two stories tall, not including basement or attic. Entering up the stone steps, between two tall marble pillars, you'd find yourself in a foyer with vaulted ceiling, adorned with paintings and small statuettes on wooden stands along the walls. To the left is the living room; to the right, the dining room; behind an ornate spiraling staircase with polished banister, doors to the den and kitchen at the back of the house.

The living room was all set up for company, with plush leather and silk chairs and couches arranged in a friendly circle along with walls, a fireplace lying dormant on one side. The den was more cozy and intimate, with just one broken-in leather sofa facing the television, sliding glass double-doors leading out to the well-kept gardens in the back: Nyte's personal project for several years. The long table in the dining room was adorned with flowers from Nyte's garden and made up with place settings for a meal for the guests later on in the evening.

Every member of Antipode's family had been aware of the get-together for some time; some of them even decided to help get ready for it.

Jewel

Jewel Timothius finishes tracing the rune on the basement wall with her finger; the design flares brightly once before disappearing to the naked eye. She releases a little sigh as she completes her task. Most of her day had been spent renewing the old safety seals around the house and establishing new ones at key locations. The simple fact was that the Evangel household was not a place in which to go wandering about. Arjen and Nyte's career as adventurers had led to a not insignificant collection of mystic artefacts and dangerous devices that they kept stashed away, just in case. They certainly didn't need any overambitious houseguests poking around where they oughtn't. Her proximity seals would keep anyone out of harm's way -- specifically, the basement staircase from the kitchen, the backyard any farther than the stream that ran through the garden and, quite obviously, her room -- by not permitting anyone but her to pass through them. The rest of the runes would simply shield the entire estate itself from prying psychic eyes; such a large collection of super-powereds in one place would be a delicious target for some, and the less who knew about it, the better. Jewel nods satisfactorily for her work and returns to help Nyte with the rest of the preparations.

Zander and Kali

"Dude, this totally sucks," Zander sighs heavily to the ceiling and frowns. "I don't wanna buncha strangers running around in our house. I don't care if they are mom and dad's friends or not."

"Tell me about it," Kali replies from his bed across the room. "We're going to spend an entire day of our vacation from school staying here and doing nothing."

"They could have at least let Mara and Lanni come over, then we'd at least have some company. If you know what I mean."

Kali rolled over and looked over at his brother. "They told you that? I invited Lanni over anyway."

"Wha- You serious? I just figured..." He thinks for a moment, then rolls his eyes and grabs his phone from the desk beside his bed, dialing his girlfriend's number.

Crystal

"YAY, a party! Par-ty, par-ty!" Crystal was singing exuberantly and twirling around the house, patently ecstatic that people were coming over. "Maybe I could get someone to play checkers with me. Oh, or fight me! No one every wants to fight me around here, maybe a new person would!"

She skips around, alternating between asking her mum and Aunt Nyte what she can do to help get ready, and completely forgetting what she was told in the wake of her excitement and wandering off. She keeps an eye on the gate out front, disappearing and reappearing in puffs of black smoke with little or no warning in various corners of the estate grounds. The only thing that could make her any more bouncy would be sugar; and Jewel is afraid that the introduction of that ingredient to her system would create a supernatural incident, what with all of the girl's yet-untamed power base, so Crys is kept far away from the cookies while waiting for the company to arrive.

Nyte askes her this, one in hand even though she knows she shouldn't give her one. she picks it up putting it aside on the counter while she moved the other refreshments onto the island in their kitchen. she ran down the checklist mentally of everything that was there...Everything looked in order. she left orchid to finsh while she went to arrange fresh floowers in the entryway, the dinning room, and living room, sprusing them up with her powers. She leans over, inhaling the aroma from a large arrangement of fresh roses, that she has rather creatively decoratated with dew.

"Lovely."

Antie greeted Wind at the door and took his beautiful jello, inviting him in with a smile. "Party's in the kitchen for now, there' plenty of snacks."

"And would you mind not doing handstands on our kitchen table, I spent quite some time this morning polishing it."

Nyte come in carrying a flower arrangement to put on the island beside them. She smiles and hugs Wind.

"I'm so glad you could make it. I know there's so much going on in the city right now, what with the crazy guy running around and destroying things."

She notices the fox, almost absently, then the cookies.

"Oh Wind, I see you've been trying some of the 100% natural cookies I made. I hope they're good, most people would think they're kind of bland, they don't have any processed sugar in them. Arjen tried to get me to make one of my cakes instead, but I convinced him that they were healthy and therfore better."

She takes off her apron, hanging it on a peg beside the stove. then extends her hand to the fox.

"Hello, I don't believe we've had the pleasure to be introduced. My Name is Nyte Evangel. You must be one of Wind's frineds. Pleasue enjoy your visit to our house."

"You will not fight on my property."

She glances over at Wind.

"You okay, elf boy?"

" Jewel do be a dear and mind knife that foolish fox before I'm forced to take rather drastic action..."

She dusts an imaginary speck of dust from her dress, barely able to keep her temper in check and restrained.

"He's destroying my house, I'm not too fond of that....In fact it rather puts me out."

Her hands steadied a large tray of cookies and cupcakes and brownies, still warm from the oven with the lovely smell of baked goods shifting around it.
The cat-girl really hoped that they liked what she brought, she had gotten up extra early just to make them.
'Come to think of it, I don't know if anyone's ever tried my cooking.' she thinks about this for several more moments, then just shakes her head.
'Ah well, let's just see if Atrius' instructions rubbed off on me. She made some damned good cookies.'

She noticed both the elf and the fox, smiled and greeted them warmly.
"Heya Wind, and you're Fireball, right? Nice day, huh?"

"Ow..." Fireball growls, rubbing his ear. "That hurt."

She gives him a look that's unnervingly placid, her head cantered wistfully to one side. "You're lucky that's all I'm letting you off with. I've imparted much more serious an injury for less."

She turns back to the remains of the patio door scattered all over the lawn and spreads her arm out. All of the tiny glass fragments shiver and leap through the air toward her outstretched hand. They stop short of actually piercing her palm, gathering together in a growing spiked sphere in her mental hold. After all of the glass has been collected again she places her hands together, the glass melting to liquid between them and flowing out gracefully to the frame of the door, bonding itself to the shards of glass remaining in the corners and reforming the door itself. The glass solidifies, appearing like nothing had ever happened to it in the first place.

Jewel suddenly has an urge to check her seals, to make sure none of the other 'guests' had disturbed them, and heads back for the house.

Nyte snarls down at the still prone fox. She's tempted to kick him somewhere painful, after all he had invaded her house, without her permission, with no invitation, she didn't even know who he was, and he'd WRECKED her house.

"I dislike gatecrashers, I don't think you were invited, I don't even know how you got in."

"You don't even KNOW Syndrome. I don't even know why you care about Savott City, but hey, where do you think the money and supplies are coming from, my company has devoted quite a bit of money to rebuilding efforts, I've devoted time to the orphaned children, not to mention, getting them food and clothing from my PERSONAL funds. Don't presume..."

She moves closer to him, poking a finger into his face.

"to accuse ME of not doing anything, its seems to me you're all bark and no bite. what have YOU been doing to help out?

She turns a half turn away from him strolling back into the house.

"Hey." she smiles. "The name's Kyra, pleased to meetchas. Would ya like a cookie?"

Her eyes wander back to the fight. She was, curious [to say the least] about the lack of blood comming from the hedgehog, and as well was a bit worried about the wounds each fighter had already recieved, so soon in the 'battle'. ~I suppose it really is a battle,~ she mused. ~To call it anything less would be an insult to the combatants.~

"Now I'm thinkin' that I shoulda made popcorn instead though. The nasty turn of events has lead to quite an interesting display of power. Entertainment that can only be further hightened if one were involved in it...."

She leans back against the wall lazily.
"But ya'd have to be a raving loony to even think about jumpin' in."

With a thought, she began to invision her weapon in her hand, and though not visible because of the obscuring light, a Janonit* tattoo on her forearm began to glow, then fade away as the scythe formed in her hand from seemingly nothing.