tampered | (no subject)

When; Tuesday, July 14th | Afternoon
Rating; G
Characters; Serena van der Woodsen (

theserenashow) & friends~
Summary; It's Bastille Day~! And also, Serena's birthday.
Log;

It's a bright day, the sun beating down in that unforgiving way it often enjoys doing. There's a generous amount of wind, however, so that the area they've chosen to set up on the beach isn't incredibly warm. There's a tent (white, of course) under which a few tables and chairs rest, almost all unoccupied. It is not a day for sitting in the shade. At the far center of this tent are two tables. One is for the presents Serena repeatedly said were optional, a fact which was then repeatedly denied by one Blair Waldorf. She likes to take care of her friend, and can you blame her? The other table holds a rich assortment of nearly every plate native to France and even some that aren't. Did you really expect Serena to leave grilled cheese and cotton candy off the menu? If that's not your thing, feel free to enjoy an éclair or four (they're great) or a croissant. Most of all, however, feel free to enjoy yourself. That is, after all, Serena's main goal for the day.

[ooc; THIS IS SO LATE. I'm sorry D;;; We're remodeling my room and I've been moving furniture/painting all day. Please post in the subject line whether you're tagging Serena specifically or it's open aaaand have fun! Balloon fight thread will be up in a it.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Cassie came to the party perfectly sober, because she had run out of tabs and also because Serena did not ask for goodies. Not that it meant she acted like anyone sober, but those who knew her long enough might notice the slight difference.

Staring in wonder at all the pretty people dressed in white, she herself was dressed according to the code, wearing a vintage dress (http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q231/ephemericon/15669682_11_d.jpg) three sizes too big for her. Walking quickly over to the table of presents, she placed a small gift (http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q231/ephemericon/15669682_11_d.jpg) beside the pile. It occurred to her that everything about her was so crummy compared to everything about the party: her dress, her present, her uncombed hair. But Cassie was used to feeling out of place, she could sit this one out.

She made her way to the corner of the white tent, sitting well out of the sun for fear of fainting from heat stroke.

Raffles can take a hint re: presents, which means that yes he brought one, though normally he would consider it overly presumptuous for their short acquaintance. One thing he was quickly having to come to grips with in this modern society was a habit of ignoring any explicit social lines as to class or relationship status. How ever anyone managed to negotiate such a society was simply beyond him, but he was doing his best not to flounder. Being able to adapt was just as valuable as a well thought-out plan.

Arriving suitably late - not the first, but not the last - his first duty was to the birthday girl so that's who he went looking for, or, failing that, Miss Waldorf. He was dressed as ordered in a white linen suit which may be rather formal for modern beach wear, but was about as informal as he was capable of. He might accept the necessity of canvas shoes, but short sleeves without a jacket? The horror.

Of all the activities available to her, Serena has taken mingling up as the most urgent and important. She is, after all, the hostess. It's been a while since she has been in this position but she's putting for the best effort possible. She politely excuses herself from a conversation upon noticing Raffles' arrival. If the above is true regarding his manner of dress, her appearance may offend a few of his sensitivities. Arms, shoulders, back, and a generous amount of leg are visible from under her dress. She isn't about to spend the day sweating and the heat is one of the first things taken into account when she sees Raffles. It's windy, but it's still warm, especially under so much fabric, light as it may be. She doesn't address it, however. Surely he knows whether it's hot or not.

"Hey! I'm so glad you came," this said with the largest of smiles, before she bites her lip. "How are you?"

Showing concession to the weather wouldn't be a very upper-class English thing to do, but he can appreciate hers very much. Whatever he might say about the decline of decorum in modern society, he is not about to recommend she cover up more, unless it is to prevent a tan.

Raffles balances his delicately-wrapped package under one arm and catches up her hand with the other to bow over it. No kisses, so early in their acquaintance.

"My pleasure, Miss van der Woodsen," he replies as he straightens and smiles right back. "I am still getting my bearings, of course, but nothing to complain about."

Arthur showed up to the party as promised, dressed in white (http://men.style.com/slideshows/mens/fashionshows/S2010MEN/VERSACEMEN/RUNWAY/00050m.jpg), thanks to Blair. He set the small box, wrapped in white wrapping paper with a gold ribbon, onto the table with the rest of the presents before he glanced around.

He had been to enough social functions at court and dated Blair long enough to not feel completely ill at ease here at the party. Still, he wanted to wish Serena a happy birthday as soon as possible in case he decided not to stay long. With the way he was feeling right now, between his fight with Morgana and Merlin, it was entirely possible that this was exactly what he needed or the exact thing he didn't need.

Either way, it would be nice to see Serena and when he spotted her he headed straight for her.

Serena is waving by the time he starts in her direction and she takes a few slow steps in order to meet him halfway, or perhaps a little more than halfway, but who's counting? He's still oblivious to the past weekend's switch which means he doesn't realize he was flirting with her in place of Blair. It makes things awkward for her. She isn't sure whether they should jump into a relationship so soon after Blair's break-up with Nate. She likes Arthur, he's good for Blair, but as Blair's best friend she notices more than he ever will. Added on what she knows from home, Serena is afraid Arthur is simply going to get himself hurt again. As long as Blair and Chuck have their unresolved issues, Blair can never really invest emotionally with Arthur. Those thoughts are pushed aside, however, when she reaches Arthur, all grins and greeting. They can all afford to suspend their issues for an afternoon, can't they?

"Hey, you! Thank you for coming."

"Of course, I would hardly miss your birthday party," he told her, giving her as much of a smile as he could, which was rather easy. Serena had a way of making it easy for you to smile at her.

"I hope that you're enjoying yourself so far?" he said. "It seems like there are a lot of people here."

Obviously, the point of wearing white was to show off one's perfect tan, which Blair had worked on for weeks ahead. The safest tan may be a fake one, but there was no way she would put her trust in some nondescript salon. This was Serena's party after all, which meant it would be the party of the year, even counting Blair's events. There were no Park Ave Peerage here, no Gossip Girl to flood the internet with their pictures, but appearances still needed to be kept.

She had considered Chanel's spring 2009 couture collection, but this was a beach party, and it seemed sacrilegious to subject anything Chanel to paint balls. So, Chado Ralph Rucci (http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q231/ephemericon/chadoralphrucci.jpg) it was, complete with spotless white heels. It could be improved with some color.

Blair hovered near the entrance of the tent, munching on an éclair, already her fourth one. She dropped bright smiles for any guest meeting her gaze, all the while looking out for her best friend. This was Serena's day, and Blair had to make sure the birthday girl had fun.

Edited 2009-07-15 04:13 (UTC)

Luckily, they didn't overestimate the amount of balloons they would need. In fact, they may have overestimated. Off to the left of the tent are three plastic barrels filled to the brim with paint balloons. The balloons themselves cover the entire color spectrum. When popped, however, they bleed out in sharp contrast. Serena has made sure none of the balloons contents match their outer skins, allowing for some element of surprise. Being smacked by a flying paint balloon is clearly not enough.

There rules are: there are no rules. Go crazy. Have fun. Steer clear of Serena. She has terrible aim.

Edited 2009-07-15 15:53 (UTC)

Now Blair was a stickler for rules, but since the birthday girl herself said that there were none, she had to make one for herself: Make sure to hit every single guest at least once.

If this were Constance-Billard, depending on the current social climate, she would either be the prime target or the one person with still pristine white dress. But Blair Waldorf was not such an intimidating presence in the City, obviously, though regarding paint balloon fights, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Readying herself, she threw her arm far back before flinging the balloon right at Serena.

(no subject)

OPEN;

@ Serena; might be a placeholder

no subject

no subject

ATTN Serena

no subject

no subject

OPEN;

( BALLOON FIGHT | OPEN )

( BALLOON FIGHT | OPEN )