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

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.

[fridgeflower]

Laurie shrugs at the answer. It's fair, unconscious and probably influenced by circumstance. Her own list of women she's met through the confluence is likely shorter than her list of men, and it wouldn't surprise her if the ratio is skewed. If anything, then, the mechanism behind the Confluences is bias. For shame.

Anyway... "How are you, apart from strained from a reach for dinner party perfection?"

[helpdesk_hero]

Ask him that question again in a week, or two weeks, and he'll have a very different answer. But this is today and Laurie gets quite the smile.

"I'm good Laurie, except for the doghouse with Josh thing. I like my job. I love my partner, and I'm feeling more confident in my skin. And it doesn't make sense that it's all come out here for me in this moment of time, and yet here it is. One of the happiest times in my life."

[fridgeflower]

"Good," she echoes, and she means it. Still, it turns something in her chest or her guts, and she can't quite place it. It's, again, either the stupid fight with Josh or the fact that she hardly knows anyone here, or-- Anyway. That's all stupid. It doesn't matter. David matters.

She leans back, shoulders against the wall, and takes a drink, crushing a bit bit of ice in her teeth idly. It gives her a moment to try and think of something better to say.

"It's already worth preserving, then."

[helpdesk_hero]

"I'm still trying to find a way to get you and Josh home, as you are here and now," he says, his voice soft. He looks like he wants to reach out, to touch her arm.

Nerves. He feels like he's off balance with her, and David's shit at fixing these sort of things.

"You know, if you're not comfortable here, if you want, we could slip out. I don't know, maybe it would be good for me to escape my own party. I think I saw Balthier setting up a separate plate of food for Loki and I tell you what, that's terrifying."

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."

[portolan]

That's exactly why he needs Balthier's voice in his mind instead of his own.

Balthier turns him around, partly so he can't reach any tools, and partly so David is more inclined to look at him. "You have made a beautiful spread of food that, while it will never reach your expectations, has far exceeded mine. Now trust my expertise when I say this part requires you to step away from the kitchen."

He cups David's face in his hand, voice softer. "You helped me with something I don't know how to do this week. Let me help you, too." Not that dinner parties are on par with complete breakdowns over childhood trauma, but, the spirit of partnership is.

[helpdesk_hero]

David sighed and nodded. Fine. He can do this. He should do this. Damn, this has been so much work. He resists pointing out that the two things aren't even remotely on par, and nods. If it will make Balthier feel better about earlier that week, then yes, he'll do this. He can agree.

"I suppose I need to socialize now."

[portolan]

It honestly would make him feel a little better about earlier in the week, and if that helps David hear him, all the better.

"Go sit in one of the chairs, looking dazzling, and don't get up until you finish this." He's already mixed David something he likes -- he has of course paid attention to his love's tastes. And he knew better than giving David an instruction and then an opportunity to talk his way out of it. That's just how he was when he was flustered.

[helpdesk_hero]

"You know tipsy David is far too affectionate. We should definitely avoid him tonight," David reminds his lover. But he supposes he can't argue beyond that.

"Eddie and Peter crashing here tonight?"

Peter, at least, wasn't affiliated, traveling had to be harder on them. Unless Loki had helped out. David didn't know for certain.

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."

[kid_flash_found]

"Thanksgiving has a pretty set menu, just a lot of variations," Bart points out. "I would have offered to help if you wanted."

He knows what it's like to always be second-guessing. He has his own insecurities, and David will call him on it quickly enough. "So far the stuff I've tried is at least as good as some of the society events I went to with Aunt Joan in Denver. And I doubt you're going to run out of mixers half-way through because everyone wants a drink in their hand to schmooze, but nobody wants to risk getting drunk at altitude."

[helpdesk_hero]

"I didn't want help for this," David points out. But for that day he'd taken a ton of it.

The drinks, though, he shrugs over. That was Balthier's work and he didn't care of people had to have water. He preferred that at parties anyway.

"So, are you enjoying yourself so far?"

[kid_flash_found]

"I may have to spend some serious time in the library. I think I saw at least a dozen titles I don't know," Bart said, grinning. "It certainly is a nice place. And the company isn't half-bad."

That last is an understatement. He might have wished he had more people his age, but...well, there's always that counter of what age that actually is.

[helpdesk_hero]

"Yeah, he's trotted out things even I don't know," he says with a grin. So much stupid fondness for his love. He felt like he has found a match he could keep after all.

"Are you saying I"m charming?"

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."

[doctopoda]

"The chairs?" Otto arches his eyebrows, leaning to peer around David at the dining room. Indeed, one of the places is lacking a proper chair, sporting a stool instead. His expression immediately softens. "Oh. That's very thoughtful of him."

He hadn't even considered that Balthier might have made accommodations for him like that. It's...nice.

"Glad to be here," he says, turning his attention back to David. One of the actuators is watching him as well, though its posture seems casual; the others are idly hovering in place, only one appearing to observe the other guests. "You cook?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"He's an exceedingly thoughtful man. I wouldn't be with him otherwise," David admits with a smile. And oh the fondness in that smile.

The damn man was too considerate and David loved him for it.

"Yes, my father was a professional chef. I learned a lot from him, intentionally and otherwise. It's a pleasure to trot the skills out."

[doctopoda]

Otto returns the smile, though the expression is rather tight all of a sudden. Of course he'd known Balthier's boyfriend would be here - fully expected a young couple hosting - but somehow he hadn't realized how much it would ache to see.

But he doesn't want to drag down the night, or tank his own mood ten seconds after arriving. "I look forward to trying your food," he says, bottling all of that right back up. "That's a good talent to have. I've only ever been an average cook at best."

[helpdesk_hero]

There is an urge in David to ask what is wrong, to try and help the other man through the moment. But no, that's not something he's going to do. Forcing himself into an emotional moment is not okay so he's going to respect that.

"Cooking is, except for the parts that are chemistry, just about practice."