somethingwithturquoise | MHA #10; Ssaturday Evening [04/16]

It had taken a bit to get there, but the whirlwind of Summer's burst of party planning was finally coming to frution. There had been the flyers, of course, some good radio coverage, and the ubitquitously handwaved mass text, so hopefully people knew about it enough to show up. Especially since a lot of work had been put into making Goose's apartment party ready. For one thing, it actually had furniture, plenty of sofas and ottomans for the guests to sit, arranged to also allow for a lot of standing and gathering room (and, yes, yes, for all the wall flowers, a few meticulously curated shadowy corners, you're welcome. But most of the decor attention would probably be put into the magic work Summer had Margo and Eliot do.

With the faint scent of rose and mint in the air, the entire ceiling was cloaked in the vastness of outer space. But not just any space, because, in Summer's experience, space was actually kind of boring, so they pumped it up, they amped the colors, they filled it with a ton of glitter (of course). Distant planets and swirls of galaxies and pulsating quasars dotted the starscape in swatches of pink and purple and green, some glowing bright with neon. Shooting stars would occasionally trail overhead and across the walls, leaving behind a dusting of color and glitter and occasionally a message that called out "Happy Birthday, Goose!" with another message trailing behind it that read "(And Gladio, too!)". Occsionally, the starscape would seem to swell a little and expand, so that, on occasion, it would feel as though you weren't just looking at it, but almost being surrounded by space until it moved on.

The spare bedroom had been converted into a karaoke room, there was a jello table and a tended bar set up, with an ice luge embedded with neon lights, and a keg all dolled up to look like a container of Cup Noodle. And speaking of Cup Noodle, don't anyone forget Cup Noodle gift bags! There's plenty for everyone, at a table by the door, so you can help yourself to that excellent tote filled with some of the most random (and pretty moddable) chintzy Cup Noodle junk Summer could find on cheap Chinese websites (the real highlights, though, robably being the slippers and the candle).

The kitchen, of course, was dedicated to be the haven of Ignis, who staunchly refused to do anything Cup Noodle related for his food offerings, which, if you asked Summer, were a bit much for a party where she was hoping everyone would be quickly too drunk to care about what they were putting in their mouths, but, hey, you do you, Specs.

She'd even hired a bouncer, mostly for raccoons, but also for students, let's be real, and since she usually hired Gladio for that position, putting in Billy this time around seemed like the obvious choice, and she was even being very, very good about not just calling him Wish Gladio or Walmart Gladio or Budget Gladio tonight.

And, just like that, this party was ready to get started!

[[ ~~please to wait for the~~ OCD it up, have at it! ]]

[[Convenience Links: Arrive & Mingle | Karaoke! | The Bar | Jello Table | Food Stuff | Birthday Boys! | Gifts | OOC ]]

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Stark just looked back at her, then nodded.

"8 was...8 was good. And then..." Then someone very important was gone forever and everything changed. "Before I came back here, the last time, before the raccoons, it was 8 again for a while. Then 6, and that was good too." 6 might have been better. 6 had led to that brief friends with benefits situation that had helped get him started towards improving.

Improvement was a long hard road, as Steph was well aware.

"Must have been some good people, if you kept going back to them," she said thoughtfully. Going back: not a concept she was too familiar with, but maybe she'd be more willing to entertain it these days.

"They are," Stark said softly. "They saved me, once." Then he'd been executed for them and who could keep track of it all now? "We've...we've been through a lot together."

"The best kind of people, then." Chloe had said the same thing about Rachel, Steph remembered. "And now you're here."

No judgment in her tone. She'd cut and run too many times for that.

"Now I'm here," Stark agreed. "Again. I went back in...February?" This year it was hard to keep track of time. "For a while. Then I came back and then...raccoons."

"They are very good people. But here has good people as well." Even if some were missing now.

Steph made a pained noise at the mention of the raccoons.

"Man. What a shitty welcome back party."

No, really, who even knew how to keep track of time any more?

"It took a couple of weeks for that to happen," Stark said, as if that made it better. It didn't. "But it's done. And no more bandages. And we don't think anyone's sick. I...I need to make sure to check on everyone that helped."

Make sure nobody appeared rabid. Maybe offer some thank you gifts. Apologize for being a burden.

"I mean hey, take your time about that," Steph said, frowning slightly. "You had a rough time, I don't think people will mind if you don't check in on them right away."

"It gives me something to do," Stark said. "Better to keep busy. And I want to make sure everyone's alright."

He did better when he could keep himself occupied. And when he wasn't worried about people. Too bad he was always kind of worried about someone.

"Bro, as long as you make sure you're included in that everyone." Steph might not be the best about self-care when it came to herself, but as far as other people went?

"I've been through worse than raccoons. I'll be fine. Eventually." For a given value of fine, anyway. Fine for Stark wasn't necessarily fine for other people.

"Trying to be fine, anyway."

"As long as you try," Steph decided. "Plus I hear there are jello shots here that might maybe help with that?"

"I do like the jello." When it wasn't full of meat or anything else horrifying. "We don't have that in my part of the universe either."

Although, again, Chiana would probably be all over jello shots. Maybe if she ever came back to visit.

"Although part of that is that they're Summer's."

Steph laughed. "Because she gets really creative with them, or what?"

"Sometimes too creative." Was Stark ever going to forget the shrimp and cheese one he'd been given? Nope.

"But she's my friend. So I always try at least one. Usually more."

"Damn, that's dedication. You're a good friend," Steph said. Look, there had been some concoctions of Gabe's that she'd straight up refused to try on principle.

"I try to be." He wasn't sure he succeeded all that often, but he tried.

"Usually I like them. Except the ones with meat. Those are...I think she makes them just to see how everyone will react. But sometimes people take them."

"Jello shot trolling. I like it," Steph decided. "As long as I don't have to try them, anyway."

"She never makes me try the ones I don't want. She offers them, sometimes. Or tries to put them in front of me." Probably just to see the expression on Stark's face when she did.

"I don't think she'll force any on you."

"Nah, I didn't get the impression she would," Steph reassured him. "But I should probably take pictures of all of them and use them to traumatize my friends."

Stephanie, come on, your canon had enough trauma in it already.

MHA #10; Ssaturday Evening [04/16] - GxG Birthday Bash!

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