Housewarming / Easter Party

[callmeemily]

So, it started with a mass text to Raleigh's friends last week.

Somebody's all fancy with nowhere to go, so the party's coming to him!! Housewarming/Easter thing, some booze/food provided bring more if you want, 4/4/15. Be here!

That's the start of it, and Raleigh's apartment's actually mostly-sort-of furnished. Everything's open, the table that Joel made her is against one wall with booze and food, there's seating and music (not country, because she knows that's just her), and it's pretty much a party. Delicious food, good friends, and a good time, and her elderly neighbor's out of town so noise isn't really a problem. She's not that picky about who's here and who's not - not tonight, anyway, since it's just about celebrating her first Real Place.

OOC: If you can explain how you knew it was happening, you can totally show up! Gathering, tag each other, tag Raleigh, whatever! I'll try and hit up all top levels, too! This post is open pretty much from now until people stop tagging, but the actual party is Saturday, in game-time!

Comments

[callmeemily]

"Hey!" Raleigh leans over from where she's sitting on her kitchen counter so she can grab her drink, the plastic martini glass full of sangria. "Can you crack the window? It's getting hot in here." Oscar's waddling through the crowd, wiggling his butt since he doesn't have much of a tail to wag, and Raleigh's unable to stop the bright, happy smile on her face. Who would have thought that she'd come this far from when she'd been scared to tell anyone her name, when she'd introduced herself as Emily to almost all the people here? It was almost a year ago, and it's like the whole world'd changed in that time.

But this? This is pretty much the best outcome she could have asked for. Yeah, it'd been hard-- of course it was hard, anything worth having is hard, but she's living by herself, she's got her business, her friends are doing so well-- there's every reason to celebrate, and she holds up her glass to clink it with the nearest person, before she reaches to snag a cookie.

OOC: Tag her any time, or in any location!

[astra_inclinant]

Mira has to giggle at the cute text, and from there her attention is pulled to what makes an actual good housewarming gift for someone who probably has Strong Opinions about kitchenware. There's an art to gift giving. The perfect gift is something cool, but that the giftee wouldn't buy themselves, with a hint of you to it but -- in Mira's opinion, at least -- not so much that it's more you than them.

(Unfortunately, that art is curtailed sometimes by money, but Mira's persistent.)

She can already hear voices inside when she knocks, beaming, accompanied by a bottle of something fruity and sparkly and likely to be drunk too fast and with a two part present for Raleigh, wrapped and tucked into her elbow.

[callmeemily]

"Hey!" Raleigh's thrilled to see Mira - especially since she hasn't seen her except for super in passing at the museum, and with everything that happened-- she wraps her friend in a hug as she smiles widely. "I'm so glad you could make it!" She carefully takes the bottle so that Mira's hands aren't full, and walks - yeah, she's still a little off-kilter - towards the table to set it down.

The jingle of Oscar's collar is unmistakable as he trots towards Mira, wiggling in excitement because she's a friend. Clearly, he wants her to pet him, plain as can be.

"Feels like forever since I've seen you," Raleigh says over her shoulder - "Did you make it through alright?"

[astra_inclinant]

Mira hugs her back with her usual enthusiasm. "Hey! Thanks for inviting me." She knows that's a little silly to say, they're both pretty much invited to each other's stuff, but she always leans a little polite anyway. "Thanks. I brought you things and stuff." She grins. "I hope you like it."

"And hello to you too, sir," she tells Oscar and scritches his ears, smiling fondly at the wiggly puppy.

"Apparently so?" Mira gestures to her in-one-piece body. "I uh, apologized to the mummy in Greek and I think it freaked him out. What about you? I was trying to find everyone but it wasn't, I mean." She feels really bad that she couldn't corral all her friends, even though she managed to successfully take care of some of them. She's supposed to take care of everybody. "It didn't work very well."

[callmeemily]

"Of course I invited you, it's pretty much the default," she says with a smile, and she raises her eyebrows. "Holy crap, I mean-" She shakes her head. "I mean thanks? It- I mostly just wanted to throw a party that was, this is where I live now, you all should come over, but people brought things and it's really sweet," she admits with a laugh.

"You tell me when you want me to open it, because I guess-- I'm just not used to this whole thing," she admits - even at Christmas, she'd felt awkward. Oscar licked Mira's fingers before she stood back up, and Raleigh sort of.... she rubbed the back of her neck with a hand, because she's hoping that Mira doesn't feel like she should have stopped what Raleigh's going to say next. "I... uh. Sort of- It made me really sick for a while, but I was mostly looking out for Sylvie, you know? Have you met her? She's really nice - I invited her, I'm not sure if she'll show up, though, I think she's maybe kind of shy. And French. Shy, and French."

[davin]

Davin is thrilled to get the text. He's proud of Raleigh and what she has accomplished, and he's looking forward to helping her celebrate it. He forwarded the text to James and asked him to escort him to the party, and was pleased to get a response in the affirmative.

He doesn't really know what to get her as a gift because all that comes to mind are baking supplies, and he's sure that she has plenty of that at the shop. He settles on continuing the theme of her Christmas gift and gets her an engraved whiskey decanter and set of glasses, figuring it's something that every apartment needs. In his esteemed opinion, at least.

Once he gets his gift wrapped, he heads over after getting confirmation that James will meet him after work. The party is already in full swing once he arrives so he lets himself in, laughing happily when he's greeted by a wiggling corgi. "Hey there, little fella."

[callmeemily]

Oscar's trying his damnedest to climb up onto Davin's lap, nevermind that he's standing and Oscar's ridiculously short. It's taken Raleigh a second to realise that the jingle-jangle of Oscar's collar is him hopping up and down. "Down! Oscar, get down!" She doesn't mind so much that Oscar's friendly, she mostly wants him to stop accosting her friends when they come in the door with him begging for friends.

"Honestly," she says once she's scooped Oscar up off the floor, "You'd think I didn't pay attention to him at all." She smiles when she leans forward to hug him. "Thanks for making it! I'm just-" She looks over her shoulder at the crowd of people drinking and talking. "Can I get you a drink?" She's a little overwhelmed with how many friends it seems like she actually has, all bundled up in one space.

[davin]

"Aw, he's just friendly. Ain't ya, little guy?" He laughs and reaches out to scratch him under the chin when she picks him up. "Yeah, I'll take a beer if ya have one."

He holds out the wrapped gift with a smile. "Are ya openin' these as they come or can I put this somewhere?"

[callmeemily]

"He's friendly, but he still needs to not jump up on people," Raleigh said with a laugh, even as Oscar tries to lick Davin's fingers, his non-existent tail wagging as much as it could. "And yeah! I've got beer." She hasn't put down the dog, but she leads the way to the table that Joel made her. "If you don't mind - and thank you, by the way! You didn't have too, I really appreciate it - but there's sort of... people have just started putting them over there." She's a little flushed just with the embarassment of the fact that people are giving her things, and she doesn't quite know how to handle it when it's not something reciprocal like Christmas-- obviously she will handle it, but it's a little bit overwhelming.

She snags a beer - Blue Moon - out of the cooler, and actually (Finally!) puts Oscar down so that she can pop the bottle open and then passes it to him. "How've you been? After the museum thing, I mean."

[coopdetat]

Coop walks in with an armful of pillows that he'd thought she might like, just as he'd promised at Davin's party, and a bottle of wine. He hadn't needed the text to know about the party, but it still makes him smile and when he wanders into the apartment, keeping an eye out for the host, he has to admit that he's glad Raleigh's gotten the chance to do this. He knows it's kind of a big deal for her, living on her own like this, and it deserves a good celebration.

Of course, the last time he'd been here, she'd asked him out on a date, and they haven't really decided when and what and where that's going to be; but no matter, it's fine, Coop figures there's no reason not to act the way he always does--happy to see her safe and smiling.

So he sets the pillows down on the couch before plopping down and patting at his lip until Oscar jumps up to join him, scratching behind the dog's ears until he glances up to see the next familiar face. He offers a wide smile before nodding toward the open spot next to him. "Take a seat, don't think it'll last long."

[davin]

"Don't mind if I do," Davin says as he plops down next to Coop, wedging himself in close with a smirk. He nods towards the mess of pillows Coop placed near the rest of the gifts with a soft laugh. "Are ya tryin' t'build a nest?"

[callmeemily]

It's actually a good bit before Raleigh actually gets herself free from the crowd and making sure that there were enough cups and that the oven was off and oh, of course they can put on a kettle for tea--

All of that stuff kind of combined to make it a little bit hectic, and that's why when she finally saw Coop - and saw that he'd apparently made a buddy for life with Oscar - that she doesn't notice the pillows at first. It's not until she plops herself down - her leg's having an Interesting Sort of Day - and she's actually cozy-comfortable that she shifts, her eyes widening. "These... weren't here a half hour ago." Her eyes narrow in suspicion even though she's smiling. "You wouldn't have anything to do with the super gorgeous pillows that just happen to totally match my couch, now would you?"

The whole... asking Coop out thing had sort of been a success, but they hadn't hashed out the details, and she's got not idea that he'd talked to Sylvie about it-- if she had, she might have hesitated before inviting both of them to this thing, but since it's a one-time thing, no strings, the whole deal-- she didn't realise it was the sort of thing he'd have talked to her about. She's recovered since the whole Museum incident, and she's just really happy to see him-- it's the most that she's actually seen anybody, really, the last couple of weeks, since she mostly had her head down with work since Christmas.

[jamesthorn]

James shows up because Davin asked him to come otherwise he isn't familiar with the woman who is throwing the party. He brings a very good bottle of wine with him since it's a housewarming party, and before he leaves work he changes into a nice party of jeans and sweater. He hopes that's good enough. He may not know Raleigh, but Davin seems to be good friends with her and he'd hate to be rude. It's been a long day at work from all the investigations concerning the museum, and this business with Daniel and Amelie is beginning to snowball. He's more than a little worried how all of this is going to work itself out, but tonight he's just trying to forget all of that.

It's easy enough to find the correct apartment once he gets to the building. There's music playing and a crowd of people already inside, so he lets himself through into the living room. He hopes to spot Davin first (or maybe even someone he knows) before someone else spots him.

[davin]

Davin has been making the rounds with a beer in his hand when he spots James across the room. He looks a bit awkward, and a bit grumpy, and Davin frowns slightly. He knows James has been busy at work, and that he spent the night before with his siblings. They didn't talk, so Davin doesn't really know how that went.

He makes his way through the crowd and gets up on his toes to wrap an arm around James' shoulders and pull him in, kissing him quickly on the mouth. "Hey, babe. Glad ya could make it. How was work?"

[jamesthorn]

Smiling as Davin approaches him, James instantly feels a little more relaxed to spot not only someone he knows but his boyfriend in the crowd. His meeting with his siblings hadn't went disastrous, but things were happening that were out of his control and he just wants to be around less of that, and more of someone that makes him happy.

"Hey," he says, kissing him back with a small kiss and nodding. "Ah, it was fine. Busy. Are you having a good time?"

[davin]

A smile appears on James' face as Davin approaches, something relaxed and soft that makes Davin feel warm all over just for knowing he's the one who put it there. "I am! Better now that you're here. C'mon, let's get ya a drink."

He takes James' hand and threads their fingers together as he leads him over to the refreshment table. James looks a little tired, maybe slightly grumpier than usual, and Davin looks at him curiously. "How'd everythin' go last night?"

[callmeemily]

She's never met James, but she's seen him and Davin together before, and when she sees him - maybe Davin's in the bathroom or something? - she slips off the counter so that she can go ahead and greet him so he'll hopefully feel a little less lost. "Hi there! You must be James." She holds out her hand to shake his. "I'm Raleigh, it's so good to finally meet you!"

[jamesthorn]

Davin has indeed slipped away for the moment when Raleigh approaches him and introduces herself. He's heard much about her, and there's nothing more important than making a good impression on your partner's friends. He himself has yet to introduce Davin to his best friends---Grant and Alex---but there are reasons. Mainly them doing everything possible to embarrass James because they are just slightly evil.

But James is eager to make a good impression, and he shakes her hand with a good smile. "I'm James. Yeah," he says, nodding, and then he remembers the wine he's been carrying around with him. "For you. I'm sorry. It was a little last minute, and I wasn't sure what to get." He looks around. "Congratulations on the new place."

[astra_inclinant]

"You look really tentative for someone who one kinda assumes has done house parties," Mira greets him without pretense, a beer in her hand and scanning the room already to figure out how the hell she spotted James before Davin did. "How're you? And relax, Raleigh is actually the sweetest."

[jamesthorn]

James does breath a little easier when Mira shows up and presents him with someone he at least recognizes. It isn't that he's uncomfortable, but these are very much Davin's friends. He does feel a little out of place. He's trying not to let that deter him from having a good time. Davin made an effort to attend his family's over-the-top snooty dinner party with him and a few other events since then. He can handle a house party.

"I'm good. Thanks," he says, nodding. "I think the only people I know here are you and Davin."

[just_another]

Joel might not be very good with parties -- and he might be skirting the edges of this one -- but he's here because it's for Raleigh. He feels a bit strange showing up empty handed, but the house warming gift he'd made for her is already here, laden with food and drinks, which pleases him, even if it's entirely possible he doesn't look pleased, which he'll always choose to blame on his face.

But he's here and he has a drink and people seem to be generally having a good time, so he does his best as well.

[callmeemily]

The only thing she makes sure of before she captures Joel in a giant hug is that she's not going to knock the drink out of his hand - she'd already knocked over one glass of booze today, there didn't need to be a second. But she's smiling, and she's happy - if he sees her aura, right now it's shining bright with only her leg to dim it even a little.

"Joel! I'm so glad you're here! Look!" She pulls him along by his sleeve, nevermind he's clearly been here for a bit. "It's like a real apartment!" She's gained a lot of furniture since he'd come by on move-in day. She's got a couch with some really nice pillows, there's some art on the wall, a coffee table, some more chairs-- it seemed like the works, especially with how bare it'd been. "I mean, it's like I'm an adult and everything, seriously," she said with a laugh.

[just_another]

She looks so happy, which makes him happy and Joel lets her drag him around the apartment to see all the things she wants to show him. He's been here before, but she's right, she's made improvements since the last time he's come by.

"I didn't know furniture was how one determined whether or not they were an adult," he teases. "Spencer and I have lots of furniture, more than I've ever had before, and I think I feel less like an adult each day."

[davin]

"Hey you!" Davin calls out, working his way through the crowd when he spots Joel and his grumpy ass expression. "You, with the face."

He laughs and sidles up him, giving him a teasing smile. "So, lemme guess, it was this or a root canal, an' ya chose the lesser of the two evils?"

Joel's resting bitch face is kind of hilarious to Davin, and he can't pass up the chance to tease him. He nudges his side just barely with his elbow and winks before taking a sip from his beer.

[just_another]

"I'll have you know I have perfect teeth," Joel answers, his mouth twitching briefly, though he manages to keep a mostly straight face. It isn't even entirely true, his front teeth are a little crooked, but he's never had a cavity in his life, something he's oddly proud of. Davin doesn't need quite that much information, though.

"I'm just not very good at parties," he admits, his voice dry, but he does finally smile. "I'm sure that comes as a terrible surprise, given how comfortable I was at your birthday party."