Happy Birthday, Viatorus!

[westfallcorndog]

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.))

Comments

Cue one very uneasy host...

[rogueinladysclothing]

Amelia's trying really hard to be calm about all of this, but she's never organized a birthday party like this, or attended one, let alone hosted one. Harrow's assured her that everything will be fine and that all of their planning won't be for naught.

She is ten kinds of distracted when everyone starts mingling as she tries to make sure everything goes smoothly. Viatorus didn't want something too big or overwhelming, so everyone can expect her to be breaking up any and all arguments swiftly and without remorse.

...hopefully Viatorus will like what they've done.

[juststeverogers]

On the one hand, he was told to dress casually. On the other, this is Viatorus we're talking about. Steve decided to play it safe and wear his 1940s suit. Too old fashioned to be formal anymore. Too Sunday School to be casual.

He gives Amelia and Harrow a tiny wave when he finds the right place.

"I hope I'm not late..."

[rogueinladysclothing]

Steve's appearance earns a smile from Amelia. A friendly face is always good to see.

"Of course not - you're right on time." Hopefully he doesn't think her tense muscles have anything to do with him. "It's good to see you again, Steve. Sorry I haven't called recently. Things have been... busy." Her smile only flickers for a moment, so she hopes he won't notice it. This is a celebration and there will be no talk of sad things today. Not if she can help it, anyway.

[juststeverogers]

"I've never seen anything like this before." Steve comments as he gestures around them. "And inside ocean? Who would have thought something like this up?"

It's all very exciting and Steve's eager to look around almost as much as he is to wish Viatorus well wishes for his birthday.

[rogueinladysclothing]

"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.

[juststeverogers]

"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."

[rogueinladysclothing]

"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.

[juststeverogers]

"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.

[rogueinladysclothing]

"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.

[juststeverogers]

"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."

[rogueinladysclothing]

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.

[juststeverogers]

"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."

[rogueinladysclothing]

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.

[juststeverogers]

"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?"

[westfallcorndog]

"Steve, you're super late. The party already happened, that's why nobody's here but us and all this uneaten food." Harrow winks at Steve and pats him on the shoulder. A shoulder that, strangely, his mind almost calls his own. Quite some time has passed since that body swap, but certain instant, subconscious thoughts are hard to move past.

"You wore a suit? Man, do you want my tank top or somethin'? It'll be a little big on you, but you can say that's the style." He plucks at his own Hawaiian overshirt. "I got this, I won't be shirtless."

[juststeverogers]

"Well, I.." Steve looks down at himself and then grins sheepishly. "I didn't know if we were to dress casually, or casual-for-Viatorus."

His admission is quiet and Steve rubs at the back of his neck.

"I'm comfortable though, thanks."

[westfallcorndog]

Harrow nods along. He accepts that Steve won't take his gift. Ah, but it brings something else to mind!

"What'd you get him for his birthday? He's a hard guy to shop for, right?"

[juststeverogers]

"He really is. Guy like him doesn't need much of anything." Steve raises his shoulders in a bit of a shrug.

"I gave him one of my sketchbooks. Put a few starting sketches in it for him. Thought a themed book might be something he'd like."

[westfallcorndog]

"What a cute idea! I bet he loved it! Y'know, I saved the drawing he did in my body back at the mansion. I'm thinkin' about gettin' it framed and puttin' it up on a wall if I ever wind up with a place to stay."

He puts a hand on Steve's shoulder then and becomes surprisingly serious. There's something he has to say, and he has to get it out of the way as soon as he can.

"Steve?" he asks solemnly. "Remember when I asked you if you ever ate a spider? And you said you never ate a spider? And I said I'd cook some spider for you? Well..."

Oh no. Oh, Light, he's leading Steve over to the buffet. He takes him right to the Duskwood Land Crab display, and there they are... Boiled, seasoned black 'crab' legs, easily the size of a king crab's. They must have belonged to a creature the size of a large dog. There's a gravy dish of melted butter there beside it all, and he cannot be seriously suggesting what he's suggesting. This has to be a joke, right? Those are just regular black crab legs from a world where crabs are black and huge. They're in an aquarium after all.

"It's just like crab, man, but without that fishy flavor."

[juststeverogers]

"Uhm. Harrow?"

Why is his grip so tight? Not tight enough to hurt exactly, but tight enough that Steve can't just run away. Why would he want to run away? Why is he talking about spider--oh.

Well.

"...Y..you made all this food?"

[westfallcorndog]

What a perfect way to distract from the previous topic. Steve's question completely catches Harrow off-guard and he starts to nod.

"Sure! I love cookin'. I think my favorite thing to make is pie, but pie ain't really a birthday food. Used to do a lotta bakin' with my mom. You think you'd ever like to learn to cook? I bet you'd be good at it. Everyone's bad at first, but you start to get a feel for it after enough practice and it's so darn satisfyin'. Plus, you can share with all your friends!"

[juststeverogers]

"I don't know. I always got an apple pie for my birthday." Steve gives Harrow a small smile before he nods to the food spread.

"Alright. I'll try a little bit of everything." Harrow did go through the trouble, and really most all of it looks really good. Most. But he'll take a little bit of it all and put it on his plate.

"I'm slowly learning, myself. A friend and I are teaching each other."

[westfallcorndog]

Harrow tilts his head and slouches a few inches closer to Steve. "A friend? I didn't know you had friends."

He cuffs him on the shoulder and starts to laugh. "Tell me about him! Or her? You finally got a lady, man?"

[juststeverogers]

"Hey now. Maybe not back home, but I've got friends here." Steve knows Harrow is joking though and he laughs along good naturedly.

"Nothing like that, no. Matt's a lawyer from a different Earth future. He's a swell guy--likes boxing and is Catholic too. But he isn't much of a cook either, so I've been learning and teaching him everything I learn. Helps me get better, and he gets some lessons and food out of the deal too. He's been real busy lately though. Must have one hell of a case."

[westfallcorndog]

"A lawyer? Shoot, I ain't never met one before. But if he believes the same stuff you believe, I reckon he's a good guy! Maybe someday I can meet him too? My second-youngest brother's named Matt! He wanted to learn to design boats. I bet you'd like him if you ever met him. He's real good at drawin' like an engineer. He calls it drafting and I love watchin' him work."

He looks over the buffet again and decides he'll spring for a cup of punch. He pours one for Steve first, of course, and offers it wordlessly. If Steve won't take it, he will.

"What'd you wanna do with your art for a livin'? Anything special you had in mind?"