westfallcorndog | Happy Birthday, Viatorus!

Invitations to this party have been written in neatly legible, semi-calligraphic font, hand-crafted with care and talent by Amelia Ronsam. Harrowheart has asked that she create a few more than necessary on the off-chance anyone lost theirs and was liberal in handing them out.

The room mentioned on the card is easy to find with a map of the aquarium: In the Earth wing, past a long series of exhibits, and through a glass hallway over which the water rests and the fish are free to swim. The corridor ends in a dome-shaped room spacious enough for a party of a few dozen.

The meeting space, like the hallway, is composed entirely of glass walls around which a vibrant array of Earth’s tropical fish drift through bright blue waters. Now and then they dart in odd directions, flashing their gem-like scales as their school is disturbed by the passing of a sea turtle or the flowing wings of a manta ray. Far, far in the distance are the silhouettes of whales that, on rare occasion, shadow the dome as they pass between the party and the far-off source of light above the water. Simpler creatures crawl through the coral just on the other side of the glass: crabs and minnows tease at algae, grinning eels poke shyly from their dark crevices, and anemones dance with the motion of the flowing seawater. The only thing to break the immersion of the scene are the mermaid attendants, glimpses of whom can be caught as they feed the fish while trying their best to stay professionally unnoticed.

Outside the glass is the beauty, but inside is the party! There are bubbly balloon letters hung from the ceiling reading HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Green streamers dangle from the ceiling like kelp, and someone's even set up a motorized shark balloon to swim through the air. Set up against one rounded wall are two buffet tables of food laid out. Stacks of cheese-stuffed fried peppers, fried chicken, grilled corn cobs, a kind of savory pork stew, something resembling black crab legs that’s been labeled ‘Duskwood Land Crab,’ a fruit and vegetable platter, a single pizza for the guests to fight over, and for the English Birthday Boy, cucumber sandwiches. Drinks are a bowl of punch and a keg of water. Looks like this aquarium party is a dry one. The sweets are cookies and hard candies laid atop a pile of pink candy floss. Then, of course, there is the cake: One large sheet cake of marbled chocolate and vanilla iced with buttercream frosting. On top there rests a little gingerbread man with black icing hair sleeping soundly atop a little frosted bed, a red smile on his face. Four tall candles make the posts of the bed. An unsteady hand has piped along the side ‘Happy Birthday Viatorus!’

Two people beat the crowd to enjoy this quiet afternoon retreat. Harrowheart, who sits at one of the tables in the middle and watches the passing of the fish, is dressed for the tropics. He’s bought himself a Hawaiian shirt to go over a pink tank with a pair of palm trees on the front, and of course he’s wearing his usual cargo shorts and tan work boots. ~~Any rumors of pajama dress code were greatly exaggerated.~~ With him is Amelia, whose garb for the evening is much more demure than her usual. The first sign is her lack of ~~visible~~ weapons. The second is the combination of dark navy jeans and black blouse. Her hair is tied back in a simple braid and the hair pin she's always been so fond of is nowhere to be seen.

((If you'd like to greet the host and/or hostess or remark on your character's entry, feel free to tag this post. Otherwise, try the Gift-Giving or Free Mingle subsections: Viatorus will accept gifts and well-wishings in the Gift-Giving section, and threadhopping will be with OOC permission. Free Mingle will be a threadhopping-encouraged area for party-goers to interact with each other. Meet new characters, talk about fish, fight about who gets to eat the pizza.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I don't know, but I'm glad Harrow thought of it for the party. It's such a beautiful place for a celebration." And a good escape from the cold. "There are so many things to see beyond the glass. It would be really easy to get carried away watching it all." She laughs softly at that thought, if only because she might have done so herself before everyone else arrived.

"And for that I am very grateful." Steve shakes his head and tries to hide the shiver he gets just from mentioning the cold. "I'm really glad to be somewhere warm and inviting, personally."

"I'm glad we could offer that, at least." She laughs softly before smiling at him again. "If you ever need company trying to find some place warm that isn't your apartment for a little while, though, let me know. I'm certain I could find a place or two, or that I could be convinced to join you in any of your favorite places." Really, any excuse to get out and about these days is good, but getting out with friends is even better.

"I've actually been spending a lot of time teaching myself how to play pool. Found a couple really nice taverns that have tables up for customers. It's been nice, and gets me out of the house."

Between that, church with Matt, and his work or other errands it about covers the only things he's gone outside for all winter.

"Pool? What's that?" Is it obvious she doesn't get out much? "Whatever it is, it must be good if it can get you out in this cold weather." She gives him a wink to go along with the small teasing.

"Pool, billiards?" Steve is quick to pull out his pocket notebook and a pencil before quickly sketching out a top down view of a pool table with set balls and a stick laid across one corner just to showcase it.

"You hit the white one and knock the other balls into the pockets in a specific order."

The drawing helps but she shakes her head. "I've never seen such a thing before. It sounds interesting, though. It's a game of some sort, I take it?" That's what it seems like, at least. But now Steve's got her on a curious streak, so she's taking out her phone to investigate. Yes, Steve, she's using her phone in one of the ways it was intended. Strange and exciting, isn't it?

After pulling up a video of two pro players, she watches with wide eyes. "Damn, that's impressive." She looks up at Steve once the video is over with a smile. "And you play this game now?" He doesn't have to be good for her to already be impressed.

"Okay I'm really not that good." Yet. He just picked it up a couple of months ago, give him some time, Amelia.

"I do. It's all about math. Geometry and physics. Force, angles and the like."

All words Amelia doesn't know at all. Yet. "I'll take your word for it and do some reading on it later," she says with a small laugh. "Then, maybe, I can come with you when you go play? The best way to learn is with a teacher, after all." And excuses to not lock herself away for days at a time are even better.

"Hey I'm always happy to have a friend along. Maybe I can bring you one of the times Matt and I go and introduce you guys. He's a friend I met around here a while back."

Steve hasn't seen much of him lately but he's sure being a lawyer is busy stuff.

"How've you been Amelia?"

"Matt Murdock?" She smiles a bit. "I met him once. Seems like a nice man. I'd love to get to know him better." He seemed very interesting and she does enjoy unraveling a good mystery...

The question about herself gets a look of surprise and then a small, forced smile. "I've been well." Truth, physically at least. "Keeping to myself mostly since we last saw each other. Lots of reading and research... those kinds of things." All truths. All great non-answers, too.

"Okay."

Amelia's non-answers don't go unnoticed, but Steve decides it's best not to push her for information in public. Or at all right now since this is supposed to be a celebration.

"That's good then. Always pays to keep busy."

"It does," she agrees. "But I should let you go, check in with the others who are arriving. We can catch up more after the party, all right?" Her smile is genuine this time as she backs up and makes her way toward the rest of the party goers. They can save the sad topics for another day when they're not celebrating their friend's birthday.

Happy Birthday, Viatorus!

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