askmenosecrets | Arcadian Forest Party

This was more work that he usually bothered to put in, Pan thought, especially here, at home, but everything was set.

At first glance, it appeared to be a forest clearing, beautiful and wild but nothing different than a hundred other clearings spread throughout the woods of the Arcadian mountains. But when you looked again, Pan thought, you saw something quite different. Hidden in the trees were a series of structures suspended in air, hung with ivy and dew, and through the mist-shrouded branches you could see the faint glow of light, and you could smell the scent of fire and food. There was the fire pit, a circle suspended in the arms of a large oak with a crackling golden fire, a roast, and bowls of marshmallows, chocolate and crackers waiting. There was the bar, stocked with a rich variety of wines and alcohols and staffed by two of the satyrs. And then there was the forest floor itself, bare now, but waiting for the dancing. On all sides of the floor, there were cushions on the low branches and benches of fallen logs, each accompanied with wooden buckets full of wine and beer bottles and glassed suspended with vine.

"Well," he said to Zaffre, currently wrapped around his neck, "I think we're ready." Pan flicked a leaf off his forest green turtleneck and looked around with approval before pausing. "We're almost ready," he corrected, and pulled his pan flute up to his lips.

The forest filled with music as he played, music that began as the mystical songs of the flute, but transformed as he let the instrument fall to his side - transformed into thrumming, sensual rhythms and intricate guitars that would encourage the party-goers to...well, Pan thought with a sharp grin, to be bad. Very bad.

"Let the games begin," Pan said.

[Notes: Everyone in fortuna_invicta is invited, the more the merrier in Pan's opinion. If anyone needs directions to the right section of the forest, let Pan know on the SWS post. Mingle! Get drunk! Stuff your face! Find a secluded tree and do naughty things! Pan approves highly of all these pursuits. Format = narrative third person, if you please!]

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Pan laughed, tipping his head back as he sipped at his whiskey. "Everyone's invited to my parties, Nyx," he said. "You know I've never gone in for exclusivity. It's simply not my way."

He swirled his drink in his glass and raised an eyebrow. "But it has been some time since I've seen you, Queen of the Night."

She sipped her wine slowly, thoughtfully. "Mm, I have had little need to walk any plane, mortal or otherwise. I am absolute; I see and hear all happenings beneath my thick veil."

A slender shoulder shrugged, she pushing back a stray lock of dark hair. "However, the goings-on of late have perked my interest, stirring me to once more don mortal guise and walk among my kingdom." Her lips quirked. "It should prove entertaining, at the least."

"It is almost always entertaining," Pan said with certainty as he finished his drink, tipping his head to one side. "The modern age is rife with opportunities for both of us," he said, and it was the preternaturally calm god of terror and destruction that spoke rather than the impish nature god. "Which have attracted your attention, lady?"

Nyx's scimitar smile flashed. "It is indeed, dear one." In answer to his question, she replied, "Mm, their illusion of control, mostly. It ever amuses me that despite all evidence to the contrary, the little mortal children believe themselves in complete control of their destinies." Her eyes glinted. "Methinks they have been blind to the truth for far too long."

Pan's grin flashed again and his eyes gleamed. "It is amazing, is it not," he said. "They think they bring all their accomplishments and downfalls upon themselves. It's almost cute." He held a hand out and Lysander handed him another drink.

"It makes me wish to show them how the world truly works."

The goddess chuckled softly, a contralto sound which seemed to sigh away on a black breeze. She swirled the remaining third of her glass thoughtfully, gazing without seeing off into the ether.

"No matter their accomplishments, they remain ever children, and thus squalid in their irrationality. Which," she added with a smirk, "works quite well for me, as all deep within fear the dark watches of the night."

Pan laughed. "They do," he agreed as he took a sip of his fresh drink. "It lurks in their hearts from birth to death, for so many. And if it doesn't?" He shrugged. "There is always something else. Always."

Fear was one of his lifebloods, and despite his appearance, he could inspire it without thought. It wasn't a game he chose to play often, but it could be a stunningly complex and lovely one if he used the right weapons.

Nyx smiled in matronly agreement, touching Pan's cheek fondly. "True, true. They will always be little things, put upon the world simply for our amusement."

Leaning back, she gestured to the rest of the party. "But don't neglect your hosting duties, Pan dear. We could sit and reminisce for several years, and perhaps shall, but not tonight." She waved him off gently. "Go, speak with me again later."

Pan smiled impishly at Nyx as he took her hand and bent neatly at the waist to brush his lips over the knuckles. "Do enjoy yourself, my lady," he said. "And find me again if you find yourself...bored." He doubted she would.

Arcadian Forest Party

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