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

[hexuality]

[She laughs because she can guess that he's preening a little and why shouldn't he, she did it for the entire network when she had her broom. Colour her suitably impressed, sir.]

Well, look at you. [She sets her hand on a cocked hip, grinning.] Any favourites out there? Or is that classified?

[excelsiors]

Saturn. The rings are really something special.

_{( nodding. )}

[hexuality]

I'd love to see that.

[Sincerely, too. Astronomy as a class never quite captured her interest like DADA or Charms, but the idea of what was out there is enchanting no matter what. It's human nature to want to see more, know more.]

The rings especially. It must be beautiful.

[excelsiors]

If Mr. Scott ever shows up here, I'll have him rig up a shuttle. Or at least a real telescope.

[hexuality]

The constellations here don't match earth's. [She looks a little surprised, like maybe someone from his world might have mentioned it.] It's a bit odd at first, but kind of nice, in a way. You can make up your own names for things, find your own patterns in the sky.

Maybe we can't see Saturn, but there'll be other things. [Then Ginny's smile turns a shade more apologetic.] As for the shuttle, we won't be able to fly too high. There's a barrier around the City and I've tested how far up it goes— [When she was feeling particularly reckless, when the war was too loud in her head and she flew too high.] A little higher than the mountain in the forest.

[excelsiors]

Oh, right. I forgot.

_{( his lips pull into what might be a pout, except he recovers quickly. )}

We really are completely cut off, aren't we? That's kind of scary.

[hexuality]

Yeah.

[She breathes out, glancing off and back.]

But that's why things like tonight are important. Just because we're cut off from home doesn't mean we can't try to make this place feel a little more like one. [Brows knitting,] And maybe that's settling, maybe people might think that's giving up. But is it giving up if we're trying to stay sane and have a life here until we get back?

[excelsiors]

You're right.

_{( he feels bad, for a moment, for downing the mood so completely. when he responds, it's a little thoughtful. )}

I lived on a space colony for awhile, when I was a kid. There was a dome all around the settlement, to keep the good air in and control the environment.

It wasn't a bad way to live, just a little cut off. But everyone who lived there got to know each other really well. It was nice.

There weren't any curses, but there were a few Klingon attacks. So I think things even out.

[hexuality]

[She isn't sad, per se, about still being here. Some days it's exhausting, sure. But it's hard to feel too down with a party rocking around them, with everyone she holds dear—old and new—having fun and mingling. Ginny's expression lightens in an instant as the moment passes and she latches on to what Sulu's saying and looks genuinely interested.]

Doesn't sound too different from here, maybe. What was it like? That meant you weren't on earth, right?

[excelsiors]

It's a long way from earth. The planet Ganjitsu. It's near... well, there's a species called Klingons, and their homeworld is called Kronos. From the edge of their empire to Federation space is a neutral zone, and Ganjitsu is right on the edge of that.

It was nice, though. Like a small town, or how small towns used to be before Earth got so interconnected.

[hexuality]

I grew up just outside a little village in the countryside. I can't imagine things getting entirely connected like what the future sounds like.

What were you doing all the way out there?

[excelsiors]

It's better in some ways, worse in others.

My mother's a scientist. A bio-engineer. That's where her work took her.

[hexuality]

[She's got so many questions about his answers, she isn't sure where to begin. The first bit, maybe. She stores away that information about his mum for later on.]

What d'you mean by that, better or worse?

[excelsiors]

Well, it's good because the world's easier to manage now. You can get from one place to another in no time, and the same goes for goods and services. There isn't a lot of lack. And communication's even easier, and we're doing a lot better at getting along than we did in say, the 20th century.

But on Earth everything is known. People can always get a hold of you, so there's not a lot of time to be by yourself. As in, truly alone. There isn't a lot of mystery left, which is why most people who crave that sort of thing head to the stars.

_{( he pauses, cheeks turning faintly pink. that was pretty personal, for him. )}

Sorry, I mean. It's better now. It's... it wouldn't be worth losing what we've accomplished for anything else.

[hexuality]

[She listens attentively, leaning against the wall as he talks, and then smiles when he talks about the stars, when he blushes, because she does understand in a way—and she remembers having Jim's dreams during the plague, how stars were shot through all of it, how she thinks that's what draws all of them out and up there.]

Don't apologise. You want to see and learn all you can, more than what people already know. That's brilliant. [And she means it sincerely. She dated a Ravenclaw, she's best friends with one who believes the impossible in a world filled with magic and another witch who's the brightest of her age. Knowledge and curiosity are to be admired.] Besides, I understand. I'd get bored, too. I'm a Gryffindor—jumping straight into adventure, being brave to the point of stupidity... It's what we do. If I were in your world, maybe I'd do the same thing.