Closed | Tonight We're Gonna Party

[portolan]

Who: Balthier portolan, David helpdesk_hero, Bart kid_flash_found, Otto doctopoda, MCU Peter tinglesense, Strange rehandle, Loki ikols, Billy wordiness, Eddie slidesrightoff, Aleks morozova and any +1s I missed
What: A fancy dinner party at Balthier’s house
When: May 14
Where: Balthier’s House
Entry
Living Room
Kitchen
// generally beautifully restored historic late 1800s building in muted green and gold accents with antique furniture. pls compliment or insult him //
Content Warnings: none yet



[ The antique table has both leaves in it, extending from the dining room into the living room with twelve chairs around it. It's got a stately tablecloth and pale gold napkins. All the places are set with white china trimmed in gold, except one, which is green and gold and clearly for Loki, with a matching cup. There are name cards. There's a seating chart. The far wall of the dining room sports a buffet laden with stunning food in matching dishes, and the kitchen counter serves as a bar with a ridiculous amount of nice wine and alcohol.

The furniture in the living room has been rearranged to accommodate the table. The windows and doors are open to create a breeze and the back porch has additional seating. If people are looking for privacy, they can disappear to the basement, which is just a storage room, bathroom, and laundry unit, or upstairs where there is a loft study, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. One is locked. There are no bathrooms on the ground floor so excuses abound.

There’s also Romantic piano music playing on an honest-to-God gramophone. The whole house is restored original wood, antique furniture, old books, and nice art. Balthier is extremely pleased with his ship-like house and happy to finally show it off. He also asked Strange to enchant it to make it more or less metaproof for the evening.

TLDR:
-There will be a fine meal and plenty of alcohol
-Balthier will be giving Loki poison as condiments at some point (don’t @ him David and Billy) ((definitely @ him))
-There’s music if anyone wants to dance
-There are private places to slip into
-The house has been metaproofed to some extent by Stephen but Balthier will frown upon breaking his stuff
-Chaos pls

Feel free to thread jack! Mark things you don’t want threadjacked ]

Comments

( ota )

[ikols]

[ Loki arrives early! Dressed smart-casual in a soft pink shirt and jeans, he turns up with some wine for the hosts and then while dinner is being prepped he has a snoop around with the excuse of finding the bathroom. It's a really nice house, way fancier than his own humble Manhattan apartment. Everything has the hum of Stephen through it which is ... distracting, but not in a bad way. Loki may have switched name cards so theirs are next to each other (for dinner-talk purposes, thank you very much). Does he move a few things on shelves? Switch around some photographs? Maybe. Harmless mischief.

He trots downstairs with his wine to circle the table as more people arrive, taking his place like a prim, well-behaved guest. Hi, all! ]

it begins

[portolan]

[ As people start getting food, Balthier slips upstairs into his locked room to retrieve a serving dish -- also in green -- with a spice rack of small shakers on it, all very clearly marked as poisons. He brings it back down and sets it in front of Loki. ]

As promised, presuming you tell the rest of us what they taste like.

[ He's mostly found old paint pigments. Traditional ones like arsenic and cadmium, but there was also one labeled XV2 mummy brown and he hasn't figured out what the XV2 means. Oh well. ]

[ikols]

[ He doesn't keep a straight face, grinning at the assortment of deadly "spices". ]

Where did you get these from? The mobsters huffing their way around Central after dark?

[portolan]

[ Balthier is extremely pleased with that grin. He likes a difficult audience, truth be told. Loki's reactions are harder to predict than others' and it's such fun to get it right. ]

Is that how you see me? I'd get my shoes dirty and that would never be worth it.

We have a collection of antique pigments at the shop. For restoration. I pulled a pinch of the more interesting ones. I don't know if poisons go stale. The cadmium's fresh though.

[helpdesk_hero]

You.

[David comes upon Loki just as he's finished moving some things on a shelf. And the look on his face is one he's set to be harder to read. There are things he needs to say, and Loki needs to stand there and take them.]

[ikols]

[ Oh, gods. What. All he wanted was a wine top-up, where did David come from looking like a thundercloud? Eep. ]

Me?

[helpdesk_hero]

[David nodded and then stood there, arms crossed over his chest.]

Did you give my boyfriend a shovel talk?

David [A Host] | OTA

[helpdesk_hero]

I. A Consummate Host
Two days David's been working on this. Two days and he refuses to let it be fucked up. He'd made appetizers and main courses and side dishes (and bought desserts because baking what even is that), and all of it to impress. Which was why, even as guests arrived, he was fussing over the serving bar with the foods laid out on it. Did he look nervous? Yes, he very much did. There were people here he didn't know, friends of Balthier, and he wanted to impress them. Hell, he didn't even know entirely who was coming.

"Maybe I should have made more vegetarian canapés. I do still have some of the bread, and there's mushrooms. I could do mushroom and bell pepper..."

Someone stop him before he cooks again.

II. Good Drinks Make Good Friends
In time he calms down, due in no small part to the to mixed drink in his hand, David does the proper thing. Which is walking up to people, familiar and otherwise, with a warm smile.

"I'm going to sound so much like a strained opening comment, but I promise it's genuine. How are you doing?"

[fridgeflower]

"I'm okay."

Which is true. Laurie's adjusting, still. She's trying to wade through her days carefully, trying to get better at deciding what moves to make, trying to feel out what might be progress. She still wants progress, she just-- Some things are moving quickly and some things feel like a slog, and she not sure how she can possibly feel so ill-equipped, but here she is.

She feels bad about being here without Josh, that the little snag of distance between the three of them feels like it's in danger of ripping open, little by little. But that's also her stupid emotional fragility in these matters, her extensive history of crushing loneliness, and the fact that she feels a little odd-one-out at this particular party.

But she's okay. She's intact. Her hair and her makeup came out great, and she'd miraculously thrifted a well-balanced party dress. She is, mirroring David, very much into keeping a drink in-hand.

She glances around the party and jokes, "Am I the only woman you know?"

[helpdesk_hero]

Yeah, no, David noticed that as well, and he offers a touch of a sigh to her comment.

"Trust me, that wasn't the original plan, it's just what happened. The idea was that we'd both invite a few people we knew, encourage people to mingle. We just didn't expect to mostly know, you know, guys."

And honestly, David didn't have a lot of female friends. Laurie, who he had worried would not want to be around the boyfriend she had suggested David might be moving too fast with, or Allison who wasn't available. Or Doreen. And Doreen had not really had the vides for this sorta party.

I.

[portolan]

Balthier appears behind his nervous, overthinking boyfriend, hands going to David's waist and a quick kiss behind the ear. "Love, it's perfect. Stop fretting. Besides. People are here. You aren't allowed to work anymore."

He'll be pulled away to greet guests and show the house, he knows, and he'd like David to be settled somewhere with a drink before that, lest he try to start cooking again.

[helpdesk_hero]

It's not perfect, and he frowns at the statement. Dude, he's absolutely the sort of man to fret. But he takes a deep breath.

"I'm trying," he says. "I've never done something like this before."

1

[kid_flash_found]

Bart spots him and decides a friendly ambush of a hug is in order. Mostly because he's able to not be too worried about David getting a migraine from contact anymore.

"You need to calm down. Should I get you a glass of wine? Maybe something stronger? I promise you've done amazing. You always do."

He worried about his best friends sometimes. And sometimes what it said about him. But right now, well, he just wanted to be there for his friend.

[helpdesk_hero]

David of course bursts out laughing at the hug. He loves it so much, that Bart is free with his affection, and he doesn't feel so stranded by it either.

"I'm going to pass on wine," he promises Bart. "though I don't doubt Balthier will make me drink something too. Thank you for your faith though. This was somehow harder than the Thanksgiving thing."

i

[doctopoda]

"Oh - David, hello."

Doc Ock, in ya house! Otto's a little bit surprised to see David here as he arrives, and it would appear that the feeling is mutual. Despite that, it sure looks like David's pulling host duty right now. "Are you the David Balthier's talked about? Small world." Balthier has certainly mentioned his boyfriend before, but never in great detail, and David is a common enough name that he'd never even thought twice about it.

(For the record, it's been long enough that he's had plenty of time to forward David the notes he promised. They were very thorough; Otto's nothing if not meticulous!)

[helpdesk_hero]

Not his house, but he was over often enough that he felt fond of the place. He smiles at the other man and nods in confirmation.

"Indeed I am. And the chef in charge of today. I presume you're why one of the chairs were retired for the night," he answered. "It's good to have you here. Balthier's mentioned you."

OTA

[portolan]

I. May Your Cup Overfloweth

Dressed in high-waisted pants and a billowing white shirt with a loud patterned scarf draped around his neck, Balthier hovers in the living room to greet guests and make sure there is a drink in their hand. Jewelry glimmers on fingers, wrists, and up his ears, lest he seem too casual. He'll make introduction if asked, or happily give tours of the house, but mostly tries to draw people into conversation.

"I will say I miss fresh meat but I don't miss fighting monsters for it."

II. Dinner!

He'll be up and down filling glasses -- but not serving plates thank you very much Loki -- and trying to get David to enjoy the meal he spent so long on. But he'll be easy enough to rope into conversation.

At some point once everyone's started he calls a toast. "To David's excellent cooking, which none of us are worthy of, and to friends new and old. Thank you for joining us."

III. Slipping Away

Need to talk to him privately? Feel free to catch him outside on the porch or upstairs in the study, or maybe drag him downstairs near the laundry machine. He might even show you his hoverbike.

Or, if you slip away alone, don't be surprised if he comes to check on you.

[ OOC: will patch prose or brackets I have no preference and clearly flip back and forth willy nilly ]

[kid_flash_found]

Bart wasn't really sure what to expect, but he's been invited and he would never say no to David or Balthier, not when they're clearly working hard to include him. He came dressed with more casual formality in a nice white button-down and charcoal slacks, although he's still wearing running shoes, although they're the kind that coordinate well with the outfit. He just tends to avoid the lack of traction most dress shoes are prone to. He'll happily be schmoozing with any of the guests he recognizes, and also making a point to introduce himself to those he doesn't.

Because it's a buffet, he's careful not to take any more than anyone else the first trip, but anyone watching will notice he refills his plate more times than might normally be considered polite, although he makes sure not to take too much from the more popular dishes. Just becaue he's eating twice what even a growing teen might be expected to, that doesn't mean he isn't going to slack on holding up a conversation.

After, he continues to explore the house, enjoying the craftsmanship and possibly getting a little too enamored of the library. It's beautiful and tasteful if a little too fancy for his tastes. And it suits his friends. Besides, he's glad to see it.

[portolan]

"I think that's the third time I've seen you eyeing my books." He's pleased by it, though. He wasn't sure how Bart would do in a tight city house.

And as much as he plays unaffected host, he's had an eye on people's comfort and engagement. He's been happy to see Bart chatting and eating and generally enjoying himself.

[kid_flash_found]

"Relax, I don't want to steal any of them, just read 'em," Bart says. He knows the idea of bookworm doesn't normally fit with the concept of speedster, but he likes reading. It's something that doesn't require a specific speed, beyond making sure the pages don't start to char from friction.

"Just debating if anyone would mind if I spent a subjective month or so this evening reading the ones that are new to me."

ota!

[doctopoda]

[Well, this is quite a bit more formal than Otto had anticipated! He's glad that Doreen dragged him out shopping. The slacks and button-down he appears in are nothing particularly special, but the shirt was actually designed for metahumans with back appendages! This might be the first time anyone here has seen him with clothes that he didn't just tear big jagged holes in!

During the dinner, his seat is obvious: there's an antique stool, rather than one of the matching set of chairs. The sight of it makes him smile, and he's in good spirits during the meal, commenting to his neighbors:]

It's a nice house, isn't it?

[After the eating's done, he hangs around and has a few drinks. For a little while, he lingers in the main area, scanning the titles on the bookshelves. But before too long, he ends up outside on the porch. It's a pleasant evening, and there's much more room for the actuators to stretch out - this would probably be a good time to catch him if you wanted a private conversation.]

[kid_flash_found]

[Bart was actually amused the first time he asked someone to pass a plate and it was one of the robotic limbs that had done so. He hasn't commented on the extra appendages, figuring it's probably one of those stories that is full of sensitive areas. But the guy attached to them has caught his attention, too. After dinner, he's still wandering, circling back to what he thinks my be his favorite room so far.]

I guess I'm not the only one jealous of the library.

[doctopoda]

[Otto chuckles.] Oh, old books were never quite my thing.

[They were Rosie's. He was looking for titles she might have mentioned, once upon a time - but that is a sensitive subject, and definitely not something he's going to bring up with a total stranger.

Two of the actuators are planted on the ground now, carefully placed where their claws are on carpeting rather than the hardwoods. It's just easier on his back, to have the extra support where he can. One of the others turns to peer at Bart as Otto does, but it seems relaxed, claw only half-open.]

But it's an impressive collection. Especially given none of us have been here long.

Re: ota!

[portolan]

[ Balthier greeted Otto when he arrived, of course, but got wrapped up in hosting duties, and then it was dinner, so it's after they've eaten that he catches Otto surveying his library. ]

I'm pleased you made it tonight. I hope the stool was an alright choice.

[doctopoda]

It was perfect, thank you. I appreciate the thought - I know that didn't exactly fit the set.

[And aesthetics are clearly important to Balthier, looking around here. But then, Otto trying to make a regular chair work would probably have just been embarrassing for everybody.]

You've got quite the collection here already.