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]

It's -- actually? [ she grimaces while deciding how to explain it. ] Kinda common back home, too. Interdimensional interlopers are way more common than you might think. I've been one myself.

[ one of her best friends can travel the multiverse at will. ]

[stefanged]

That's insane.. Like, good kind of insane - we had teleporters back home, and we could travel across the world pretty easily, but we'd never managed universal travel.

[He pauses,] It is good insane, right?

[ladybro]

It can be. [ kate's answer is frank. and honestly given. ] Mostly? It depends on the dimension. Some are worse than others.

[stefanged]

I can only imagine. [He has zero frame of reference, beyond the Fleet, so he'll take her word for it.] How'd you uh, even get into the business of dimension hopping?

[ladybro]

[ there's no easy way to say a dimensional parasite was hunting me and my friends so we had to jump from one world to another just to stay ahead of it and safeguard our home-world.

so, instead, she tells a different kind of truth -- right after a second spin: ] I'm a superhero.

[stefanged]

[A couple of years ago, he knows he wouldn't have believed her. He also knows that he wouldn't have caught her as gracefully.]

Sure you should be telling me that? [His voice is light, almost teasing - ] I thought you capes had secret identities to worry about.

[ladybro]

Some of us do. Some of us don't. I used to be part of the former, but now I'm part of the latter.

[stefanged]

Huh. [He distracts himself from asking why - she might've been unmasked on TV, a la Cure Winter! - by gently resting a hand along her lower back, and nudging her to go ahead and take a dip. He's got this.] Guess I learn something new every day.

[ladybro]

Hawkeye, by the way. [ oh. her fingers anchor on stefan's shoulder. with practiced ease, she dips backwards -- it isn't hard for her to trust him to support her on the way down. ] Kate Bishop, AKA Hawkeye. World's greatest marksman. Markswoma. Marksperson. Whatever.

[stefanged]

[Unsurprisingly, he's got her back as he maintains his position,] Well then. I'm glad to be in such super company, Hawkeye.

Thank you, [He says as he pulls her back up with equally practiced grace,] For the dance, I mean.

[ladybro]

Uhm. [ she's keen to keep a gentle hold on him. ] I kinda feel like I should be the one thanking you. Dude, you've got moves.

[stefanged]

[He laughs, comfortable to remain where he is.] Only when I've got a good partner, it seems.

[ladybro]

I'm good, [ she gladly admits. ] But I'm not that good. I can't spontaneously make people dance -- I'm a New Yorker, but I ain't a Broadway musical.

Spill. You holding out on me?

[stefanged]

Of course not. I wasn't kidding about my inability to dance. Er, former inability?

[Echoes are tricky beasts that way.]

I uh, I have memory problems. Sometimes I'll think I don't know something, only to remember it in the moment.

[ladybro]

[ she eyes him with care and just a bit of skepticism. ]

Are you trying to say that dancing with me, like, revived your memory? [ a puff of air. ] Sounds a little too fairy tale for my liking.

[stefanged]

My entire life's a fairy tale, so yeah. [He tilts his head back, almost amused.] That's exactly what I mean.

[ladybro]

Oh yeah? [ kate's nose scrunches -- not with disbelief, really, but with a kind of charmed curiousity. ] Like which fairy tale?

[stefanged]

Sleeping Beauty, probably. [He says, like he's put zero thought into it.] Except, you know, with memory loss instead of a sleeping curse.

[ladybro]

Just waiting for your Prince-slash-Princess Charming to swing by and dance your memories back into place, huh?

[ -- because she volunteers as tribute. ]

[stefanged]

You could say that. Sometimes, I even end up being my own Prince Charming.

[He wouldn't mind the tribute, but he also feels that he's gotta try and regain the rest himself.]

[ladybro]

[ ah, well. she releases him with an affectionate pat on his chest. ]

Nothing wrong with that. Those are some of the best fairy tales, if you ask me.

[ the ones where you get to be your own damn hero. ]

[stefanged]

[They're the best kind, even if he wouldn't mind playing lad in distress. He laughs, lingering a little longer than he should.]

Agreed, but between you and me? Sometimes it's okay to let someone else play hero.

[ladybro]

Maybe. Sometimes. [ a crinkle of her nose. ] Only if I'm looking to spice things up, Stefan. Otherwise I can do pretty well for myself.

[ they are talking about heroism, right? ]

[stefanged]

[Head... tilt....

Sometimes, this boy is far too Muslim to realize the subtleties in what he just said, and when it hits him, his cheeks turn flushed.]

Yeah, yeah, of course. It'd be a pretty weird role reversal.

[Y'Allah, he should excuse himself while he's ahead.]

[ladybro]

[ oh good grief he's cute and he's endearing and kate is left just -- just kinda grinning. maybe she should feel bad, but she doesn't. new years is for flirting and dancing and meeting new people. this utterly suffices. ]

I just mean -- [ she opts for mercy ] -- apart from the real super-powered stuff, I don't usually need that much saving. Not these days.