On Saturday, March 10, Eva and Mason are hosting a family dinner of sorts for their long-time friends and acquaintances around Rhy"Din.

The Harrigan home is located in a neighborhood their real estate agent called "Water's Edge? (though probably just to make it sound pretty) in the Eastern section of the city just South of the river.

The house is a two-story in the American craftsman style on a nice parcel of land with views of the river and lake from the backyard and second story. Visitors are greeted with the expanse of an open floor plan as they enter.

The large kitchen is separated from the great room by a stretch of counter laden with food for the party. And no, the goldfish in the bowl near the window end of the bar is not the sushi course. Sliced roast beef, roasted chicken, truffled mac and cheese, a medley of roasted root vegetables, sage stuffing and sauteed greens with bacon are laid out family style. Near the end of the bar, the dessert section is an array of petit fours and chocolate truffles. Drinks are also on offer including bottles of wine (many from Rumors Mill Winery), beer, and liquor with a small selection of mixers and an ice bucket. A bottle-opener makes it easy for guests to help themselves to a new bottle of wine if needed.

The dining room table is set for places for six, but there is plenty of seating elsewhere—-at the kitchen counter, the couches, or the armchair—-anywhere that people could be comfortable and enjoy each other's company. Upbeat music plays in the background, setting the tone for the evening.

On a side table near the front window is a small framed photo of Lirssa, with a small memorial candle burning beside it.

((This will be a board event only. Anyone who thinks they would have received an invite or heard about it through word-of-mouth is welcome. Please don't let the cat out or burn the house down!))

Gren showed up at the Harrigan home, dressed in a sporty beige blazer with a button down plaid shirt beneath. Izira was on his arm, and she was wearing a light amber dress that hung off her shoulders. With a big smile, Gren knocked on the door and ushered his girlfriend inside.

"I brought something special for your party tonight. Now I know sometimes things can get a little wild", here Gren snickered like he was being mischievous, "but this is guaranteed to liven up any shindig. Ladies and Gentleman . . . "

Here he slowly withdrew what he was hiding behind his back. It was a simmering clay pot filled with Fondue.

"It's Fondue Date Night! You dip a marshmallow into the chocolate caramel, and Ahhh!" He rolled his eyes upwards and made a face of pure enjoyment. "You've never had such a good time!"

Gren and Izira took turns dipping small pieces of cheese and other snacks into the Fondue (and sharing, of course) as they chatted with Eva, Mason, and their other guests.

When Shy opens the envelope and finds the informal dinner invitation from Mason and Eva inside, she smiles wide, deepening those dimples of hers. "Hvordan fantastisk!" she exclaims.

Food, drink, warm fire, more drink, sharing stories and laughs of days gone by.

Well now, that sounds right up the Vikings alley! She thinks her entire crew would definitely enjoy such a gathering, too. However, she also thinks it would be wrong to bring every single one of them along. After all, she and the Wild can be a party by themselves! A large (and ultimately an unruly) Norse Viking party. Nei, that would be very unfair and disrespectful to the couple having the get-together. So, she will choose only one of her crew to be the lucky guy. But, which one" Decisions, decisions.

When the night of the party arrives Mason and Eva find Shy, with Oskar (Elder and Keeper of the Bone Runes) in tow, standing at the front door of the Harrigan home located in the "Water's Edge" neighborhood. Both Vikings are casually dressed beneath their outer garments of furs: Shy in an emerald green-coloured cotton blouse, black faux-suede knit pants, and stylish black flats. Oskar in an azure blue-coloured woolen overtunic (cinched at the waist with a wide brown leather belt) worn over dark brown suede trousers, and dark brown knee-high boots. They have brought several bottles of honey mead to share, of course!

"Godt kveld! Hvordan har du det?" Shy inquires of the host and hostess. "This is Oskar, og sometimes he kan be a grouch," she jests. Ja, she ignores that sigh of exasperation and the eye-rolling from the older man, and just gives him a quick, little hug. "We are eagerly looking forward to this e'ening's festivities!"

Now the elder Norse seafarer might appear to be a bit uncomfortable at first, but do not be fooled. He is quite happy to have won the honour of accompanying Shy. How did he win? Perhaps the tale will come out during the exchange of stories. And there certainly will be a lot of stories to tell!

"Hey, I got this invitation..."

"To Eva and Mason's party' Yeah. I got one too."

Salvador gave the envelope with its bar napkin insert further consideration, and found he couldn't help a smile. The fact that they had thought to send separate invitations instead of assuming to send one for them both pleased him. Having received an invitation at all didn't shock him as much as it might have years ago. Despite his own desires, he was well known throughout the city. In some social circles, one might argue, he was even famous.

"Did you want to go?" he asked the Cajun.

Canaan thought on it for longer than he normally would. His attention turned out the window. Salvador could almost see the wave of nostalgia wash itself over him, filling the Cajun with the melancholy that had been haunting the man for weeks now. Sal thought maybe a social gathering like this would be just the thing to cheer him up. And how convenient it was being held on the Saturday before they planned to leave for vacation.

"Sure," Cane said with a shrug. He was trying, for Sal's sake, he knew, to feign indifference. The man would never ask him to go if he didn't want to. They were polar opposites in some respects. The Cajun craved people. Salvador was drained by them. But at least these were people (at least two) he didn't actively dislike. He could suffer the rest.

"Good," said Salvador, and like that it was decided.

—-

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There had been no indication of a dress code, and so Salvador had decided to dress in his usual fashion: jeans, t-shirt, leather jacket, and boots. Though the invitation had stressed an abundance of drink and the presence of food, he could not in good conscience (hah) show up empty handed. He brought with him a large bottle of Las Endrinas Pachar"n and a platter of gambas a la plancha (pan-grilled shrimp) to add to the spread. Of the variety of foods available, he stayed clear of the meats but ate plenty of the vegetables.

In an extremely quiet and almost unheard fashion, he thanked Eva and Mason for inviting him. Though they had received separate invitations, he and Cane did arrive together. They were inseparable the entire evening, locked practically arm in arm and constantly touching. Salvador sampled all of the available alcoholic beverages throughout the night and showed absolutely no sign of intoxication. When mingling, he was sure to stand somewhere with his back to the wall and was extremely cautious not to physically touch anything. He refused to even sit down, and if offered he politely declined, stating that he liked standing.

He was not one for small talk, and let Cane do most of the talking when intervals of conversation with other guests came to pass. Anyone he knew was given an acknowledging nod, but he never said hello. Nor did he say good-bye when they finally took their leave. The little shrine to Lirssa did not escape his notice, but he pretended it did.

If anyone had been quiet as of late, it was Isuelt. Though she gave no one cause to suspect or wonder about her scarcity; as she was wont to disappear on business from time to time, she was quietly thankful for an intimate gathering of familiar faces. She arrived at the Eva and Mason's home with a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers. She was sure to enjoy the conversations of the evening and forget herself for a while. In fact, she couldn't wait. She donned casual clothing and her best smile. Tonight was about celebrating lengthy friendship in a city where such things were hard to come by.

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He sighed. It was that sigh people make when they know they need to do something but don't want to. Tucker pulled at the collar of his shirt. It was a standard white, button down dress shirt that he had purchased for the gathering. These stupid shirts never fit his frame properly; too tight in the neck. The tie he bought didn't make it any better.

He was overdressed. He knew it because he had been watching the guests make their entrance into Eva and Mason's from his somewhat hidden vantage point across the street. Tugging at the collar of his shirt again he looked down at the bottle of bourbon in his hand. 'I could leave right now and go drink this in the park alone on a nice bench.' Tucker looked back at Eva and Mason's home. It was serene, warm, inviting....all those things that she deserved to have. He could walk across the street and visit with everyone and then high-tail it out of there, he thought. It wasn't the struggle of the social gathering that bothered him. It was dealing head on with letting go of his feelings for Eva that kept him where he was...standing across the street looking like a gorilla in an undersized dress shirt and tie.

He pulled at the collar again, but this time, flexed his neck in annoyance. The collar button shot off and landed in the middle of the road. Tucker stared at it for a moment then looked down at the bottle of bourbon. He calmly untied his blue tie, dropped it on the walkway and turned in the direction of the nearest park.

Mrs. Eaves held out the invitation to Baker and Dillon. It invited Troshen, owner and proprietor of The Fiddler's Green to the party. But he had been missing for days now, and none of his friends and employees could find him.

"Should one of us go instead? " she asked.

Baker shook his head. Dillon spoke.

"No, just acquaintances. Better to not draw attention. Let's not make waves right now."

And so Mrs. Eaves laid the invitation on Troshen's empty desk.