[open] t-t-t-taking over, teenage rebellion!

[furiousfists]

WHO: Adaine Abernant (furiousfists), Fabian Seacaster (maximumlegend), and YOU!
WHEN: June 3rd
WHERE: Apartment building's rec room
WHAT: Joint birthday party!
NOTES\WARNINGS: Underage drinking

It's only thanks to Aurora's message that Adaine has any idea what day it is. She looks at the text on her earpiece's readout and blinks, comprehension coming to her slowly.

Today is June 3rd, of the year 40██.

June 3rd...

June 3rd??

"Holy shit, it's my birthday!"

Adaine's birthdays haven't been much to shake a stick at, historically speaking. It's only in the past year, after she stopped living with her parents and moved in with Jawbone in Mordred Manor that anyone ever gave a crap or tried to give her anything for it. If it hadn't been for Jawbone, she might've been perfectly happy to let another year pass without fanfare. But now? She wants to at least acknowledge it. She'd be happy with just a slice of cake at the diner, but there's one thing that makes her think that perhaps that won't cut it.

If today is June 3rd, Adaine's birthday, then that means a few days ago it was May 31st. Fabian's birthday. And Fabian Seacaster is not one to let a birthday celebration be anything but maximum legend.

And, so it is that the two birthday Bad Kids set about throwing as raucous of a birthday bash as they can manage with such short lead time. The rec room in the bottom floor of the apartment building is decorated to the nines with balloons and streamers, with snacks, sodas, and even some alcohol to make mixed drinks set out on a table for all to enjoy. Anyone who the pair have spoken with is invited, but if anyone makes any comments about teenagers drinking alcohol, they're labeled a buzzkill and told to vacate the premises. Adaine manages to find a boombox somewhere with a CD, and plays some generic party music for people to dance to, should they feel so inclined.

All in all, it is a night of revelry, the likes of which Etraya has likely never seen before.

Comments

Adaine | OTA

[furiousfists]

[ The birthday girl will be mostly sitting on the sidelines of the party, red solo cup in hand with some kind of concoction in it. She's hesitant to get too wild and crazy, but will dance if someone invites her to. ]

[ OOC - will match prose or brackets! ]

[redheadcarrier]

[ Asuka isn't sure she's in the mood for a party or for lots of people, but she does make her way down. She's even got her own cup of... something or other. It's got enough soda in it to drown the taste of alcohol. She's a bit reluctant to drink - she didn't like seeing Misato get drunk - but she's also a little curious. So she's mostly just nursing it when she wanders over to Adaine. ]

Uh. Happy birthday, I guess.

[ She feels awkward. Out of place. She tries to proejct an air of confidence, despite that, and only partially succeeds. ]

First time I've been to a party quite like this, you know.

[furiousfists]

[ Adaine hasn't always been much of a drinker. It wasn't until last spring, when the Bad Kids had been chasing the Shadow Cat across half of Spyre, when Adaine really was at her wit's end, that she started following along with her friends' debaucherous party behaviors. And even then, she only had half a beer at the infamous shrimp party before she was completely plastered.

She's pacing herself a bit more tonight, not wanting to be too drunk in front of so many strangers. But when a familiar face comes up to her, she perks up, sitting up a little straighter and greeting Asuka with a smile. ]

This isn't even half as rowdy as the parties we throw back home in Spyre. Fabian over there... [ She gestures with the hand holding her solo cup towards her friend who is tearing up the dance floor. ] ...is the most popular kid in school.

[ Or, at least, he will be, according to what he's said. But given that he's the furthest along in their mutual timeline, Adaine is prone to believe it's more than just an idle boast. ]

Thank you, though, for coming. I know it was all kind of last minute.

[redheadcarrier]

What else was I gonna do? Sit in my room and stare at the ceiling?

[ Asuka replies with a slight shrug and another little sip from her cup. She doesn't say it out loud but she's kind of grateful for being invited in the first place. She follows her gaze toward Fabian and blinks, her eyes widening a little. ]

Oh. Yeah - I met him in the maze. He definitely seems like that kinda guy, huh? Real sure of himself... just like a boy. [ Hmmph. ]

[furiousfists]

[ Adaine considers saying something about how she often sits in her room and stares at the ceiling, but she doesn't want to be made to feel like a pathetic loser at her own party. ]

Oh, Fabian's just about the 'boyest' boy I know. But don't worry, he'll be the first one to tell you, toxic masculinity is dead.

[anciently]

Happy birthday!!

[ In pops Aerith, holding a cup and looking pleased as punch to be here: all smiles and practically glowing.

(She hasn't been to a party in a while and is happy to be at one, to say the least.) ]

So: having fun? [ Since Adaine is seated, she'll plop down next to her in a chair, leaning forward to peer sideways at the younger woman, plait rolling off her back and swinging down her side. ] And if not, then why not?

[furiousfists]

[ Adaine laughs quietly into her solo cup as Aerith swings her way down into the seat beside her. ]

I'm having fun! In... my own, more quiet way.

[ She would have been just as happy to have a slice of cake with Riz and Fabian, but she's not completely opposed to getting a bit more attention than that. ]

Making this into a big party was more Fabian's idea than mine.

[anciently]

Hey, it's your birthday: you should get to spend it exactly the way you want. [ There's a sideways smile, an expression Aerith hopes is understanding, and encouraging. ] Just say the word and I'll leave you to it so you can enjoy the party without my interrupting.

[ She's more of an extrovert herself, but certainly understands the inclination. Sometimes, it's just nice to be surrounded by the people you know and care about most. ]

[furiousfists]

[ Adaine is quick to shake her head, smiling. ] No, no! It's fine. I don't mind having company.

[ Even if she doesn't always know what to do around other people, she's spent enough of her life solitary to always be grateful when she doesn't have to be alone. ]

How have you been, since we got back from the maze?

[thorncrown]

[It may be silly but Hayan is thrilled. It's stupidly easy to see in her expression too. She's been to college mixers for her whole class and out now and then with her college friends but she's never been invited to a birthday party! A birthday party where she doesn't have to worry about her guise or being read as totally human either!

Excuse her is she seems a little too peppy.]

Hello, I'm Hayan Park! Fabian sent me an invitation but I'm going to guess you're Adaine, right? Happy birthday!

[furiousfists]

[ Peppy's not a bad thing! Especially at a Bad Kids' party! This party is lacking in their usual antics, but it's still pretty hopping. The later it gets into the night, the more loose Adaine feels, more able to engage with the jovial atmosphere.

So when a new person approaches her, she's more welcoming with a bright, if a bit sloppy from all the bad baby milk, smile. ]

Hello! Yes, I'm Adaine. Thank you for coming!

[ Hayan Park. She tries to commit the name to memory, hoping against hope she doesn't forget it when she wakes up tomorrow. ]

How do you know Fabian?

[thorncrown]

We ran into each other in the labyrinth. He's a very good dancer!

[There's a light laugh in her tone as she says that. Not disparaging of course but kind of amused.]

[furiousfists]

[ Adaine laughs back easily. ]

Don't tell him that. He'll get an even bigger ego.

[stresstokens]

Hey, Adaine!

[ In the midst of the party planning - Riz hadn't made any of the choices, of course, but had been happy to hang streamers and balloons where he was told to - Riz had disappeared for much of the afternoon. When he emerged, it's with a semi-homemade cake, a squishy chocolate concoction made of cake mix and slathered inexpertly with canned icing. All things told, it's a lot nicer than if Riz had been making it with the girls. Certainly with a less eclectic variety of sprinkles than if Kristen and Fig had had their way. There are still rainbow sprinkles on top, though. Riz isn't a monster.

And to accompany it is a large, heavy party bag with clashing tissue paper on top that he holds out to her. ]

This place is kinda lacking in stores, but... here! Happy birthday!

[ In lieu of spending money on his friends, Riz has instead chosen to spend effort. Inside is a weighted blanket made up of two blankets he'd simply sewn together, the weighted plastic beads inside less evenly distributed than they should be, but certainly good enough for relaxing underneath. It's thanks to Sklonda Gukgak's careful tuition and his Rogue's dexterity skills that he was able to muddle through a bigger project after a lifetime of the Gukgaks mending their own clothing. On top is a vastly more professionally made squishmallow that Adaine may well need to throw up after the month is through, but neither of them know that now. ]

[furiousfists]

[ Adaine, in fact, has a slice of the semi-homemade cake on a paper plate on her lap as Riz approaches her! She took a corner piece, of course, to maximize on the amount of frosting and rainbow sprinkles. She's sitting by herself in a corner, but she's still having a blast, and so she greets Riz with a warm smile. ]

Riz, you... You didn't have to get me anything!

[ She sets her plate of cake aside so that she can take the gift bag into her lap, eyebrows raising when she feels the weight of it. ]

Ooh, it's heavy! [ She beams, starting to pull aside the tissue paper. ] What could it be...

[ She pulls out the squishmallow plush first, her eyes instantly drawn to the bright green fabric. Her mouth slips into a delighted 'o' shape and she smiles at Riz, before she digs in further and finds the source of the weight— a blanket which is clearly homemade. ]

Riz... Did you make this? I...

[ She's never received such a touching, heartfelt gift before. She's at a bit of a loss for words. So, instead, she just slips forward from her chair and pulls Riz into a hug. ]

[stresstokens]

It's your birthday! Of course I had to get you something!

[ He grins at her, letting himself get pulled into a hug. This isn't the way they should be celebrating either of their birthdays, trapped in this place away from all of their friends, the more raucous among them notably missing. Riz feels their presence like a missing tooth, as though his tongue keeps gravitating towards where something ought to be, and he's surprised over and over again by its absence. Which means it was up to him as the sole representative of the unbirthday Bad Kids to make sure it's as special as they can muster. ]

I didn't really make it. I just sewed two of them together, [ he says with a wry smile. It's not very well-done, he knows, even with his nimble-fingered dexterity and devotion. Proper weighted blankets are sewn with pockets of beads evenly spreadthroughout, but Riz just separated the whole thing into four quadrants to keep them from lumping into one corner, and some of the corners are frayed and worn as he tried to figure out how to best secure the stitches. Still, as long as you spread it out with care and wriggle underneath, it'll work the same. If he could have bought one instead, he would have, but the shopping situation in Etraya leaves much to be desired.

He squeezes her tightly, as though trying to channel Jawbone's monstrous bear hugs. Not that he's ever been the recipient of one (no thank you), but he knows Adaine must get them on a regular basis. ] ...I'm glad you like it.

[skaikru]

( the thing about shopping about for the cattiest present in response to being guilted into attendance over (a very mild, even helpful) case of attempted drowning is... well, it's a joint party. a shared birthday, and having been expressly told that adaine and fabian are best friends, it'd feel really rude to show up with an underhanded gift for one and absolutely nothing for the other.

so clarke had tried her best.

and yeah, her best may have resulted in a bit of a grandma scarf, but she'd thought it was pretty and wrapped it in a neat square with newspaper. it takes extracting herself from being offered bad baby milk and a careful once-over of the room but eventually she spots an unfamiliar face wall-flowering over a drink and... call it a gut instinct, clarke invites herself over. )

Hi. Are you the birthday girl?

[furiousfists]

[ Adaine's sitting in a chair off to the side, her knees pulled up into her chest in a posture that's pretty closed off, but her feet are still tapping to the beat of the music, and there's a lazy smile on her face. Really, she's not trying to be a loner, she's just feeling a little loose after a few cups of bad baby milk, and needed a bit of alone time to cool off.

When someone new approaches her, she sits up straighter, though, lowering her feet to the floor once more. ]

Oh, ah. Yeah, I am. Are you a friend of Fabian's?

[ She's completely unsurprised that the more charismatic Bad Kid is out making so many friends so quickly. ]

[skaikru]

...no, not really. ( clarke's mouth — actually, her entire face — does an interesting wobble, flip flopping between the very obvious sentiments of i don't know if i want to be friends with that guy and i'm here though, so who knows. uncomfortable, she looks uncomfortable and downright awkward for the split second it takes to school her face back into some semblance of pleasant and formulate an acceptable response. )

We've only met once. But he writes a very compelling invitation.

[politicallyinclined]

(She was encouraged to meet Adaine and who is she to say no to a new (potential) friend? Thus Padmé will approach the birthday girl, dressed like a regal Senator. She would have chosen a less daunting outfit, but her choices are few. A soft smile curves her lips and she nods gently, her hands clasped before her.)

Congratulations. I know we haven't met, but I had coffee with Fabian recently. I am Padmé. (And she could never say no to someone's birthday.) I hope today is exactly what you need.

[furiousfists]

[ At first, when Adaine looks up and sees someone approaching dressed in such regal finery, her mind immediately thinks of the stuffy elves of Fallinel, and a cold shiver goes down her spine. But she can tell that this woman is human, and she seems to be nice enough, so she's at least reassured that she's probably not a huge douche like a Fallinel high elf would be. ]

Uh, hi. Thank you? I think it is. I didn't even know today was my birthday until I got the message from Aurora earlier, and...

[ She looks around at the rest of the party, smiling fondly. ]

I'm glad we were able to throw something together so last minute.

I'm Adaine, by the way. It's nice to meet you.

[politicallyinclined]

(She does her best not to be stuffy! Not towards friendly souls, at least. Those who deserve an icy reception, on the other hand, will get one. Padmé might be petite, but she has a presence.)

I understand being a little confused about dates. (Now that she thinks about it, she has no idea when her birthday might be in this world. Or Anakin's. The latter bothers her more.)

This is a nice chance to make new friends. (If nothing else!) I brought you items that hopefully give you comfort. (i.e. a few blankets and a fluffy pillow.)

The pleasure is mine, Adaine. (She smiles gently.) If you need help or a friend, please feel free to call on me.

[equivo]

[ Working out which attendee was almost definitely Adaine didn't take much guesswork. The ears are a bit of a tip off.

Krouse approaches her with a brown paper bag in hand and a confident smile in place. He's dressed up slightly for the occasion, which mostly means that he swapped his hoodie for an unbuttoned grey cotton shirt layered over a black long sleeve t-shirt. His face has healed up almost completely, a shinier patch of pinkened skin on his left cheek what's left of his visible labyrinth trophies. ]

Adaine, right? [ He stops within arm's reach. ] I'm Krouse. Blackhat on the network. I'm glad to finally meet you in person.

[furiousfists]

[ The ears really are a dead giveaway. Especially when Adaine has been so public about being an elf. As far as she's seen, she and Fabian are the only people of elvish lineage in Etraya, so it's no wonder Krouse is able to make a beeline for the birthday girl.

She looks up at first, unsure of who's approaching her, but once he introduces himself, her face breaks into an easy smile. ]

Krouse, hi. Glad to meet you too! Thank you for coming!

[equivo]

Thanks for having me.

[ Fabian might have sent the invitations, but he assumes Adaine was consulted on the guest list. He's not going to mention it, though - he's not unfamiliar with being the less outgoing friend, and how it can feel like you're an afterthought on any given occasion. Bad enough regularly. Worse on your birthday. Even worse than that on your birthday in an apartment building rec room with only two of your actual friends in attendance due to your recent extradimensional abduction.

With all of that in play, he decided he'd make an effort to be a more congenial guest than he'd usually be. He extends the paper bag to her, which brings the penciled stars he drew on it into focus.

(Should he have done stars? He hadn't fully thought through the implications. It's probably fine.) ]

Happy birthday. It's not much, but I didn't want to show up empty handed. [ He brightens his smile. ] If you don't like it, don't worry about it. I'll blame the limited retail options.

[ It's a pair of candles in little glass jars, one white and cherry blossom scented, one blue and ocean scented, both labelled in Korean due to coming from the Bangsan Market. Krouse figures it's hard to go wrong with candles as a gesture, if she isn't one of those people with scent sensitivities. ]