Everyone raise your glasses!

[thenormalsquint]

When; Evening of Tuesday, August 13th
Rating; PG-13, at best. Angela's on her best behavior tonight.
Characters; It's Ginny's birthday party and everybody Ginny knows was invited. Let's handwave that and just show up. BTW, IT'S BLACK TIE. PUT ON YOUR SUITS, BOYS.
Summary; There's no legal drinking age in the City, but who says we can't party like there was one anyway?
Log;

This party was four years coming. The restaurant has set aside a large room just for this event and on short notice too. The food is plentiful and of various cuisines, with even a large selection of vegetarian options for those who prefer that. But of course, there is more alcohol than one has ever seen because Angela knows the people she invited and knows quite a few of them have liquor in their veins instead of blood. Rule of thumb: more liquid than solids every time.

Everything's set and ready for the birthday girl to make her appearance, so for the time being, Angela's flitting around the place dressed in more subdued colors than usual, choosing black because no one gets to stand out more than Ginny tonight, and socializing with the few guests that have shown up already.

Sadly, there are no strippers. Ginny nixed that one hard.

Comments

[candothat]

[Chekov's been back in the City for one day and he's already breaking out his suit. If this party wasn't for Ginny--well. If it wasn't for Ginny, there's every chance that he wouldn't have bothered venturing out for any kind of social engagement, formal or otherwise. She's a good person an a good friend, however, and twenty-first birthdays are significant events (or so he has heard).

The Russian, less ebullient than usual and uncharacteristically reluctant to get to know the partygoers he doesn't recognize, initially sticks to the sidelines.]

[hexuality]

[She's fiercely glad to see Pavel, especially since he's only just come back and she could sense that things at home didn't go very well. So he gets a hug before she says anything else.]

[candothat]

[Yes, good--hugs are an excellent way to start a conversation. Pavel hugs her back tightly. The fact that she's fancied up doesn't escape his notice.]

Ginny, hello. You look very beautiful.

[hexuality]

[Well, she knows how hard coming back from home can be. Even if she doesn't know what happened, she still feels like she should make sure he's alright. Her hand stays on his shoulder when she draws back, smiling.]

And you look very handsome. Thank you for coming.

[candothat]

[The nonverbal contact is greatly appreciated. Even after letting Ginny go, Chekov doesn't move away, enjoying the casual closeness.]

I was happy to. [Er, kind of.] You are almost an honorary crewmember now, and you should have a good party after having your birthday invaded by pirates.

[hexuality]

[Her cheeks colour a bit, head ducking as she shrugs.]

I don't think I know nearly enough about space and the future to be that. I've just run into a lot of you. You've got a great set of friends from home, Pavel.

[candothat]

Knowing about space--that's unimportant. Doctor McCoy likes you, and that is qualification enough.

[He's teasing ever so slightly. The good doctor isn't really all that gruff and unfriendly, just... not one to dole out affection openly. Ginny is exceptionally likeable, obviously.

And, more solemnly:] There are no other people I would rather be on a ship with, but I haven't known them for as long as I've known my friends in the City. Friends like you. They are different, not more important.

[Largely irrelevant, but putting that out there seems like the right thing to do. Pavel wouldn't want anyone in the City to think that they come second to crew.]

[hexuality]

[She smiles at his first statement, still rather mystified by the way people comment on it, like Dr McCoy could be this intimidating thing. She can see it, of course, and maybe she is just some sort of fluke, but she's grown fond of him—fonder this time around than the first time she met him a long time ago. Then again, a lot of unexpected friendships came out of that plague.

Ginny nods at his next words, understanding what he means immediately.]

There's a different sort of relationship you have with the people we meet here. When my brothers arrived a little over a year ago, I could tell they weren't quite sure what to make of the person I'd grown up to be, here. [It hurt, a bit. But she understood.] No one comes second to anyone, no one knows you perfectly in either world.

[candothat]

And they did adjust and accept that you changed? Your brothers? [Everyone on the Enterprise is like family--it's an almost inevitable side-effect of being around the same bunch of people nearly every day--and having them around is wonderful, but Pavel spent nearly a year and a half in the City without them. That's a gap that isn't going to be bridged any time soon.] But no, of course they did. That is something that family does, and your family... you seem to be closer than many other families.

[hexuality]

[Her smile grows a bit quieter, a bit more distant as she thinks of them literally a world away, no idea she's missing because of course she's right there with him.]

We're all each other has, most days.

[Ginny brushes down the front of her dress as if it's wrinkled or dusty, shaking it off.]

I think Fred had a harder time of it than George. But maybe that's because he died. [She rarely openly says it, especially in a setting like this, but Pavel's seen her come back from the war. He knows.] And maybe he realised this is what he's going to miss. I don't know. But it was nice, after we all adjusted—to have all the extra time together without the war taking the fun out of everything. Sometimes the only times I can really stay sane here is if I think of this as a... holiday, of sorts.

[candothat]

[He wants to apologize for bringing this topic up--deceased siblings aren't exactly cheery party conversation--but maybe it isn't such a bad occasion to think about family, even deceased family. Losing people is a part of growing older.]

Even with the curses, it can be like that--like a holiday. No regular work, no real war. It's not so bad, mostly, and we can't predict who will come here.

[hexuality]

[Everyone keeps telling her it's better to talk about it, maybe this is good. In small bits, anyway.]

No, we can't. Sometimes it's a pleasant surprise and sometimes... not so much. [Bellatrix, Tom Riddle.] But, anyway— [She shakes her head and smiles.] I'm glad you're here. I know you just got back, but I thought this would be a good distraction for people as well as a good time.

[medicos]

[ there's something to be said when bones is ( relatively speaking, anyway ) the one who's more social between the two of them. considering that pavel is the younger one between the two of them, bones would say he should be the livelier one. but he knows and understands why. the pressure of knowing what's in the future is hard to bear. bones has had that problem here and he's the miracle worker, all things considered.

he slides next to chekov, a wine in hand. ]

Drink up, kid. It's a party. You should loosen up.

[ why, yes, he is encouraging underage (is he still underage? this is confusing) drinking. ]

[candothat]

[Dang, Bones, looking spiffy--not to mention almost-maybe happy with life. Who are you and where is Doctor McCoy?

The drink is readily accepted regardless. Pavel might be shy of the legal drinking age if the City is operating by that silly twenty-one and over rule, but the odds of anyone present getting upset are slim to nonexistent.]

Thank you, D--McCoy. Is that a suggestion, or an order?

[medicos]

Consider it my prescription.

[ have fun, chekov as you should. the fact that bones is telling you this is freaky in itself. you should take it as a sign. ]

[candothat]

It would be foolish of me to ignore your medical advice.

[The world is ending, obviously. That's the only thing that a suited Bones handing out drinks to ensigns and prescribing fun can possibly portend.]

Ginny thinks very highly of you.

[medicos]

[ then again, of course, bones is a doctor. once in a while, he does tell his patients to sit down and relax if it's for their own good. he just never personally follows it. ]

Got the feeling that she does like me a little at least, since she let me escort her in the venue. [ such a dry response, but he is pleased to hear that even if he doesn't want to show it. ]

[candothat]

[And Bones shouldn't think for a minute that everyone in the venue can't tell that he's pleased. He's totally into it; his suit matches her dress!

(It's adorable.)]

That must bother Kirk and Spock, knowing that you are her favorite.

[medicos]

Jim, maybe.

[ probably not, though, knowing him. he's just as willing to share the people he likes with everyone else just as much as he's willing to share himself with everyone. take that as you will, but bones knows jim is just the kind of person that as the capacity to like everyone he meets, if they didn't piss him off at first. ]

Spock? Probably wouldn't mind. If he's talked to her already, he'd think her crazy with all her talk of magic and witchcraft and scan her head with a tricorder.

[candothat]

[And that's why Jim is basically everyone's favorite. Bones has to be allowed to be the favorite occasionally!]

It is hard to believe that flying brooms and magic wands and birds delivering letters exist somewhere--harder, maybe, to imagine that no one in that world is studying magical phenomena and attempting to integrate it into modern physics.

[Read: If they worked with whatever principles magic operates by, Chekov would be all for breaking out the tricorders.]

[medicos]

She's from the twenty-first century, Chekov. Any unexplained phenomena was either considered a religious miracle or the devil's handiwork, not an some kind of unknown psi ability like what the Vulcan's have with their touch telepathy, or something similar. They wouldn't be able connect it to science because they didn't have the technology to even know how to start it. [ as they can tell right now. ]

[candothat]

Scientific curiosity was invented prior to the twenty-first century.

[medicos]

[ unrepentant: ] So was stupidity, and no one's bothered to find a cure for that just yet.

[hischair]

[ Mid-way through the party, Jim zones in on him with a pat on the back. ]

Hey. Fancy getting some air with me?

[candothat]

Yes-- [sir? Captain? this whole not-using-titles-just-in-case-Khan-is-lurking thing is hard] ...okay.

[Pavel downs the last of the wine that Bones "prescribed" to him and turns to follow Kirk.]