MINGLE — NYE & Winn's Birthday PARTY!

[passingthrough]

Who: Everyone!
Broadcast: Broadcast — Earlier than now for planning
Action: Hotel Corona — Winn's birthday / NYE party!
When: Action — Dec. 31 / New Year's Eve

[Broadcast (open to everyone but Winn)]
At the risk for earning a reputation as a party planner, I have a thing for everyone to attend again. Don't worry, lots of other people are helping pull it together. It's going to be on New Year's Eve, but the real event is the countdown to Winn's birthday which is also on the first. It's going to be in a club we rented out for this in the red shift district. Starts around seven-ish. Ends when you pass out?

It's kind of a surprise maybe? At least the part where it's for his birthday. And if you don't know Winn but you still want to come that's fine too. You can trade a gift for Winn for a free drink at the bar. Otherwise, bring some money. Cake's on us though.

[Birthday/New Year's Party]
[The space is well decorated and so glittered you can probably tell Wrath was part of the team putting this together. Lots of Winn's friends came out to help whether it was getting decorations up, managing food, music, or chipping in to buy out the space and a drink for anyone bringing a gift. Not to mention drinks for the birthday boy all night.

There's a table for presents and another one with a spread of openly available food though the bar has appetizers you can buy too. There's a big cake at one end because of course there is and some punch that didn't start the night spiked at least. There's space for dancing and a karaoke machine set up on a small raised platform for those who want to try their hand at entertainment.

The night really kicks off when Winn walks in and instead of a balloon drop there's a fluffy blue stuffed bear drop. Feel free to take one of those home. There are a lot.

When midnight comes closer some people will file out to one of the observation areas to get a good view of the nebula for the big countdown. Bring your own person to kiss!

Comments

[ladybro]

[ huh. of all the avengers in all the worlds, here's one she didn't necessarily anticipate showing up at this party. which, kate realizes, is as true to form for romanoff as anyone's ever gonna get.

she catches her between dances -- at the punch-bowl, possibly? doubtless, someone as observant as natasha has already figure out kate's been doing a bit of spiking. but at the moment, she's merely pouring herself a cup and enjoying the fruit of her labours. ]

-- So what was it? [ kate smiles and picks the conversation up in media res. ] Ballroom? Jazz? Ballet? ...Tap?

[ a tilt of her head. she doesn't know what style natasha's been trained in, but she knows a learned dancer when she sees one. something about the posture; the certainty; the interaction with the music. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha raises an eyebrow at the last suggestion. Tap. Really. Though Jazz is almost as bad.

It's amusing though. And it says as much about Kate as it does Natasha. It says she's familiar enough with dance to recognize it in someone else, even if Natasha wasn't performing in any particular way.

The answer isn't a secret though.]

Ballet. [She tilts her head, offering a smile.] I've also studied some ballroom. It's useful for missions.

[ladybro]

Me too.

[ a quick sip of her drink, then: ] The ballet, I mean. Not the, uh, missions. I don't dance on missions.

[ she is (after all) very far from a spy. ]

I make it a point to go out dancing after missions, though.

[outstandingbalance]

Is that so? Celebrating, or just... a hobby?

[It's hard to tell, from her tone, if she approves or disapproves.]

Staying in the habit.

[ladybro]

Uhm -- [ kate's mouth scrunches into a brief pout while she decides not to answer. at first blush, it may seem like natasha's approval matters to her and she's weighing her responses. in truth, she's not so easily chagrined and is simply trying to come up with a statement that's mostly accurate. ] Both? I mean...

It's more about letting off steam, I guess. Decompressing.

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha hums. She figures they all have to do that one way or another. Still, she can't help but feel like there's a danger in that. Maybe that's just Ultron crashing their last party talking, though.

Either way, she doesn't actually disapprove.

More like, she's not entirely sure how the Avengers work in Kate's world.]

I think that's the logic here too, in a way. Go somewhere fun—decompress.

[ladybro]

Sure. It's just made a teensy more complicated when you pretty much live in the same fleet as everyone else. Makes it tougher to, uh, dance like no one is watching. [ IF YOU CATCH HER DRIFT... ]

But this comes close to reminding me of home. Nights like this one. Though -- [ a crooked smile. ] This is a little quieter than a New Years in New York.

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha huffs a short laugh, barely audible.] It definitely is that. Though I'm not sure I'd want to see louder.

[She tilts her head a little.]

Sounds like you have a certain kind of decompressing in mind. Is it that you need no one watching, or no one you know?

[ladybro]

[ ahaha she has had way too much to drink and is so going to regret having had this conversation once the morning breaks. or she would, were she not destined for an enchanted coma.

kate offers a low, lonesome whistle. ] A bit of both? I mean -- the surveillance just creeps me out. But the close-quarters nature of the fleet is a whole other thing. Y'know?

[ she doesn't want to just come out and say it but -- kate doesn't really do 'relationships' any longer. they're a distraction. they're a drag. they're not worth the effort. better to just hit a club and find a guy for a night. kick him out in the morning, even if he's nice and goes to buy you coffee and probably would make a great three-month boyfriend. ]

[outstandingbalance]

Oh, I think I have a very clear picture of it. [And she can sympathize with it. She's had moments where she felt that way herself—more about relationships than about the fleet. But she has had moments where she was careful herself about the threat of... entanglement.]

I'm sure there are other people here who feel the same way, though.

[ladybro]

Doesn't matter. [ her laughter is bright -- almost hyperbolic. ] It's just not worth the risk, you know? Can't go letting people fall in love with me. That'd be pretty futzing inconvenient.

[ it's not that she thinks everyone's doomed to love her. far from it. it's just a silly joke. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[Perhaps to the surprise of some people, Natasha chuckles. She is not, in fact, entirely without a sense of humor.]

Well, good luck that. I'm sure it will be very difficult to avoid—that does make it hard getting a kiss when the ball drops, though.

[ladybro]

Pah. [ a dismissive wave of her hand. ] I don't plan to get too worked up over it. A kiss is a kiss, y'know?

[outstandingbalance]

True. I don't know, I sort of like them. Even if a kiss is just a kiss.

Or do you mean you'll get a kiss, and not worry about it?

[ladybro]

I mean I'm not too fussed in either direction. [ except if that kiss could come from the winter soldier. now THAT would be something to write home about. even then, it'd still be no more than what it was. she's not fooling herself into thinking anything's ever gonna happen there. he's way too hollowed out.

and she knows to never date your celeb-crushes. so to speak. ] I guess it depends who I'm nearby come the countdown.

[outstandingbalance]

So there are people you'd rather be close to? [A little teasing.] Just no one who'd be willing to risk a relationship with.

[ladybro]

Oh, heck yeah. I've got preferences. [ her smile is lop-sided. ] But I know better than to share them with you. Give you an inch, and you're gonna take a mile. We've been down this road before.

[ or. well. ] I and other-you have been, at least. You're not Avengering this information outta me.

[ bad enough she managed to wring clint's address from her that one time. ]

[outstandingbalance]

What? You're saying a I shook you down to find out your crushes before?

[Archly, intentionally half-misrepresenting the situation. It's a tease. And maybe a play for more information.]

That doesn't sound much like me.

[ladybro]

Futz no. Not crushes. [ kate laughs. ] Something else. Although possibly something equally as stupid.

[outstandingbalance]

Well, I can assure you... I'm curious. But I'm not about to dangle anyone in front of an oncoming subway just to find out who they're sweet on.

[ladybro]

[ it can't be helped; she laughs again. ]

I'm not sweet on anyone. Just -- [ kate rakes a hand through her dark hair. ] I'm not blind. I can recognize someone's good-looking when I see them.

[ the rest is just biology. or so she tells herself. ]

[outstandingbalance]

In that case, you could be looking at a lot. We're not exactly running short on attractive people around here.

[ladybro]

Now, ain't that the truth. [ a sly grin. ] Present company certainly proves it.

[outstandingbalance]

Careful there, kid. If you say things like that I might take it as a hint.

[Serious? Or joking? Coin toss.]

[ladybro]

Just some collegial praise. I promise.

[ you're natasha romanoff. of course you're a bombshell. kate's long ago accepted it. ]