‘Cause a Halloween party’s a rad excuse To put your body through mad abuse | OPEN

[heatmetal]

Who: The Stranger Things cast
What: A Housewarming Party hosted by the gang & Settling in to their new haunted home
When: Late October - Early November
Where: Private Housing, Sunset Falls
Content Warnings: probably drugs, drinking

Moving In.

[ It's not quite the joyous occasion they were hoping it would be. The disappearance of one of their own has left a heavy air over the group, but they're determined to try to make something of the situation. And so they proceed with the move, their belongings loaded up in the back of a teleporting truck.

Neighbors are welcome to spy the new arrivals. A perfect collection of unlikely friends that look like they belong in a horror movie cast. You'll get a drink for your trouble - or something a little less legal (or more legal, if you aren't) if you offer to lend a hand. Evidentially, some among their number are not terribly well equipped to do heavy lifting. Damn sticky nerd arms. ]

HOUSEWARMING PARTY is written in slanted block print on a piece of cardboard, staked just outside the newly purchased manor seated near the edge of town. It is a utterly ridiculous piece of architecture, and the gathered teens have more space than they know what to do with.

So how better than to fill it with a house party?
There's a stunning indoor pool just begging to be cannonballed into. A classy lounge for enjoying a little existential angst and ennui. There’s enough guest bedrooms for anyone who wants to crash, though be warned: few are furnished. Some rooms are off limits, for your own sanity rather than theirs.

The music pumping through the place alternates between 80s metal and pop, with some newer tunes sprinkled in there for flavor.

There’s food, a legion of kegs and, well, that less than legal stuff is making the rounds too. ]

Comments

steph brown

[eggplanting]

→ moving in

[As promised, Steph arrives early to help with the actual moving process, something she's happy to do in exchange for being able to a) come to a party and b) show off a little bit. If she wore a tank top purely so her arms are on display while she hauls things inside, that's between her and God.

But she is helpful, both in lifting heavy things and occasionally getting into tight spaces when necessary. If a couch gets stuck halfway up the staircase, she can easily vault over it to figure out a better angle.

Or maybe she's just gently correcting someone on how to lift an item without accidentally hurting themselves, because safety is important.]

→ housewarming

[It's sort of a shame that Steph doesn't do bathing suits (side effect of being a vigilante and amassing a collection of scars), because she's worked up a bit of a sweat after helping get all the furniture and boxes inside, but at least she can take her shoes off, roll her pants up, and dangle her legs over the edge of the pool.

Later, she'll wander around for an unofficial tour, poking into various rooms now she isn't distracted by having an actual job to do.

If any sort of dancing happens, she'll be eagerly in the middle of it, but that's about as crazy as her shenanigans get. Any alcohol or drugs offered will be politely turned down, though she can be caught picking at the food (no baked goods, just in case). As the evening wears on, if anyone who did partake needs someone to hold back their hair or get them a glass of water, Steph will be there to lend a hand. She's been to enough teen-and-young-adult parties to know that someone occasionally has to play mom, and she doesn't mind doing stepping into the role. It's nice to be helpful in a way entirely separate from the whole vigilante thing.

For the most part, though, she's just looking to enjoy the party, chat to some people, maybe make some new friends. You know, normal people things that she doesn't get a chance to do very often. It's been nice, here, to have a little bit of a break.]

moving in

[grivences]

[ On the one hand, Robin had planned to leave the heavy furniture lifting to the boys.

On the other hand, pretty girl with strong arms is asking her to help move a bookshelf.

How can Robin say no? ]

Here, I'll take the top and you can take the bottom.

:3

[eggplanting]

[Saying yes might be worth it alone for how brightly Steph grins at Robin, pleased to have someone to help; the weight of the bookcase isn't the issue, it's just a little too big for her to carry it herself without toppling over.]

Thanks, Robin.

[She moves to grab the bottom of the shelf, making sure she's braced well.]

I can walk backwards if you want, it's usually easier if you can see where you're going.

[ikols]

[ In the middle of dancing, a guy wearing a green leather jacket catches her hand and twirls her under his arm, reeling her back in with a light tug. Loki smiles down at her, cocking his head. ]

Mind if I cut in?

[ From who? Not important. ]

[eggplanting]

[The thing about dancing is that she's usually expecting to be randomly bumped or touched by people, so she isn't too startled by Loki's appearance. It helps, too, that the twirl is kinda fun, making her laugh.]

Oh, but my dance partner will be heartbroken.

[There is no dance partner. They're both idiots.]

[ikols]

I took him out, it's cool. He's seeing stars instead of your beauty but luckily for me no man could tell the difference.

[ Smoooooth criminal. He sends her into another twirl, laughing. ]

[eggplanting]

[While Steph isn't necessarily immune to flattery, she is immune to ridiculous, over-the-top flattery, although it does make her laugh again as she spins out for another twirl.

She makes sure to put a little flourish into it, as if they're dancing in some ballroom competition.]

So what's the goal now you've got me all to yourself?

[It's said lightly, a continuation of the joking, but she is actually curious. Sometimes people are just friendly and charming, but sometimes they have ulterior motives, even if those motives aren't necessarily bad.]

[ikols]

[ He sways her from side-to-side to the beat of the music, grinning. ]

Oh, make everyone jealous, wish they were us? You know, the little things that count.

[eggplanting]

[While not a particularly accomplished dancer — she has fun and that's the important part — Steph can manage a good sway in time to the music.

If he wasn't so damn tall, she'd try to twirl him in return, but it'd probably just look silly.]

A nefarious plan.

[Truly the worst. Loki is the ultimate villain.]

It's a shame I think a lot of them are too drunk to notice.

[ikols]

[ Having fun is definitely the most important part. ]

You're right, we're wasted here. I'm Loki: do you want to escape to the kitchen where the drinks are?

[eggplanting]

Only if you won't make a fuss about me not touching any alcohol.

[Sometimes people get weird and pushy about it, and sometimes they seem to take it as a personal insult, as though she's passing judgement on them with her own choices.

She prefers to get any of that nonsense out of the way quickly.]

[wordiness]

[ now that billy's met tim, he makes a beeline for steph. it hadn't been that hard to figure out which one was her, mostly by process of elimination. so when she takes a break from dancing, he sidles up with a bottle of water and a smile that says he's ready to cause problems on purpose. ]

Hi. I hear you know Tim. [ he drops the water into her hands, gaze flicking deliberately over to where loki's probably flustering the shit out of tim, then back to her, and he offers his hand. ] I'm Billy. Loki's my.. [ he trails off, squinting thoughtfully. ] I was gonna just say friend, but also my own personal menace?

[eggplanting]

[Oh.

Hello.

:3 ]

I do know Tim.

[Steph's answering smile is immediate and conspiratorial, and she accepts the water gratefully. Back home, she wouldn't really be accepting drinks from strangers, even sealed bottles of water (Gotham, man), but if Billy is friends with Loki and Tim is... dating (????) Loki, then it's probably fine.

Also, she's thirsty.]

And I like to think I'm his personal menace. Everyone needs one, you know?

[wordiness]

Those are the best friendships, [ he agrees fondly, smile softening helplessly. he does really love loki, even when he kind of wants to strangle him.

he summons up a seat for her if she wants it--because let's just be honest, a bunch of college-age kids live here and they don't really have things unpacked yet--then settles in the air, crossing his thighs lightly and leaning on an intangible armrest. ]

So what's he like? Really, I mean. Not the I-don't-know-you-so-I'm-being-polite behavior.

[eggplanting]

[Aww, that's sweet. Steph is, at heart, a big softie, and she's felt very lucky here to have so many of the people she loves around. It's nice to see other people have the same luck.

And other people can apparently just do magic like it's no big deal. She doesn't have the same issues with magic as some other Bats do, but she does give the chair a suspicious look for a second before taking a seat.]

The problem with that question is that Tim has as much dirt on me as I do on him. It'd be mutually assured destruction if I told you about his weeb phase.

[Stephanie.

That's a war crime.]

[wordiness]

His what phase? [ that's.. incredible. ] I already knew he was a nerd--[ gesturing to himself. ] he's in good company there--but this is blessed content. Was he a waifu guy?

[ he literally can't imagine it from what little he knows of tim so far, but that's what makes it dirt.

still, he needs to clarify: ] I'm not really looking for anything too personal, just, you know.. what's he like around you and his other friends? Are there a lot of people from your dimension here? [ his smile tilts back up slightly. ] Can I trust him to be good to Loki?

[eggplanting]

[It's an absolute delight that Tim has already been pegged as a nerd.]

Mmhmm, totally, he had one of those body pillows and everything.

[The snicker that follows this statement may give away the fact that Steph is just taking the piss. Tim was more of a video game nerd than anime nerd, but she doesn't know enough about video games to really comment on exactly how nerdy he was.

She can maybe comment on the rest of Billy's question. Maybe.]

There are a few of us around, that one I can answer easily. The other two might take a little bit of time, and am I right in guessing that he didn't tell you I'm his ex?

[Not from anything Billy has said, she just knows Tim.]

[wordiness]

[ his eyes widen, his lean toward her becoming just a little more pronounced. ] He did not tell me that. [ probably because he already knew this meeting was going to be a disaster for his privacy, but billy doesn't feel particularly guilty about it. he's dating billy's loki, after all. ]

He just said you were a close friend of his. I guess it wasn't a messy breakup..? [ in his general experience, messy breakups don't leave lasting friendships afterward, you know?

he summons one of the beers from the kitchen, popping the cap off and glancing to her questioningly in case she wants one, too. after a moment, he takes a sip and adds ruefully: ] I definitely understand complicated relationships, though.

[louder_than_words]

[The moment this starts happening Cass slips over to where Stephanie is standing.]

Tim on your 8 o'clock. [She tells her friend just as Loki starts to lean in close.]

[eggplanting]

[It takes a considerable amount of willpower to not immediately turn towards where Cass is indicating, but Steph manages to keep herself in check, knowing that she probably shouldn't draw attention to herself.

After waiting a second, she turns slightly to the right, covering the movement with reaching for the sleeve of Cass's shirt, making a minor adjustment to the fabric as if that's the only reason she's moving.

It's definitely not so she can glance at Tim out of the corner of her eye.]

Oh my god.

[Tim?? Kissing??? In public???]

[louder_than_words]

I think he forgot we're here. [Or that anyone else is here, considering how... focused he is.

He's out of his own head. Cass is impressed. (She'd be more impressed if she couldn't see everything Tim wants to go do with Loki right now, and vice versa.)]

[eggplanting]

I think he forgot anyone's here.

[She said the quiet part out loud.

There is.... a series of emotions she's experiencing now that the surprise has worn off, and she's not exactly sure how to label them. She doesn't love Tim romantically anymore, and she's happy that he's happy, but there's also a small pang of jealousy that she can't quite deny.

Talking about him dating other people is one thing. Seeing it right in front of her is another, even more so when he's clearly infatuated.]

[louder_than_words]

[She sees Steph's happy, but also her small-hurt and small-want.

Cass frowns. She doesn't know why her friend is feeling those things. It's related to Tim. But she's not sure how to connect it.]

Hey... [She's not sure what to ask. "You okay?" She clearly is-and-isn't. "What's wrong?" Something with Tim. Cass knows that. She reaches out and touches Steph's elbow. To distract her. Just a little.]

You want to go? [Is what she settles on.]

[eggplanting]

[It's a welcome distraction, her gaze immediately returning fully to Cass rather than watching the make out session.

She considers the question for a second, some stubborn part of her wanting to stick around purely to prove that she's fine, and that it doesn't matter. But it isn't as if she can fool Cass, and there's not exactly anything to be gained by staying to watch. Even if she wasn't feeling some kind of way about it, she isn't a voyeur.]

Yeah, let's check out the garden? I heard someone say there's a pool out there.

[Which might be kinda cool to investigate now that it's gotten dark.]

[louder_than_words]

[Cass nods. Lets Steph lead her out of the house.

The pool is built into the garden. It's very... nature-looking.

Cass sits at the edge of the pool. Takes off her shoes and socks. Rolls up her pants and lets her feet dangle in the water.

She doesn't say anything. Steph will talk if she wants to. Cass will listen.]