This time we're gonna get funky

[lasergrenades]

Characters: Pepper Potts and OPEN
Date: November 12
Location: Jade Dojo
Situation: Pepper turns 18 today! Party time, y'all
Warnings/Rating: None yet

It's the 12th of November, which means that Pepper is becoming a Legal Adult, according to the laws of her home. Maybe those kinds of things don't apply as much here (she has no idea what the age is to become an adult in Keeliai), and even if she wasn't turning eighteen, it's still her birthday. Which, of course, means there has to be a party.

And not just any party. Unlike Tony and Gene, she wants a real bash. Not a rowdy one, of course, but one that is totally fun and super awesome. Bakura was kind enough to let her use the dojo, so once the sun goes down and the students have left, she sets everything up. There's a table against one wall with snacks, drinks and the obligatory cake with eighteen candles; it's obviously not as lavish as the masquerade refreshments, but it looks good. The left over streamers and paper lanterns from Tony's party in July have made a reappearance, carefully placed around the room so as not to get in the way nor cause any damage to the dojo walls when they're removed.

The armor is set up in a far corner, so anyone who hasn't seen it yet will get the chance. She might even take people for rides if they want - although let's be honest, she's the one that wants to go flying again like she did with Raine. For the moment though, it's acting as the music player and disco ball machine. Not what Tony had intended when he built it, but she thinks this only makes it that much more awesome. Pepper can go from apocalypse-preventing mode to party mode in the space of seconds.

There are also a few board games and several decks of cards on one of the benches, in case anyone feels like playing games.

Although she did send out specific invitations, she's perfectly happy if anyone brings a guest she doesn't know, or if someone amiable decides to drop by, attracted by the sounds of the party. The more the merrier, right?

(OOC Note: Let me know if you want a specific starter, and feel free to put up your own! It's a party, have fun!)

Comments

[looksfine]

Aya was only mildly surprised to receive an invitation to this event, but infinitely more pleased. She arrived at precisely 18:30, according to her internal clock, and took in the scene before her with a mixture of curiosity and slight confusion.

"...I do not see any large pumpkin?"

[lasergrenades]

It's just like Aya to be precisely on time, and Pepper greets her with a grin.

"Hi Aya! There isn't actually a pumpkin, it's a joke about a fairy tale," she explains, greeting the green woman. "Bakura made a silly comment about getting the dojo back home at a reasonable hour when I asked if I could borrow it for the night," she adds, although that doesn't necessarily clear anything up. "Thanks for coming, by the way!"

[looksfine]

Aya assumed it was a cultural thing. One of the (possibly few) stories Hal Jordan had yet to tell her about.

"Certainly. I was most honored to receive an invitation, Pepper Potts."

[lasergrenades]

"Well, you're one of the first people I met here, and you're awesome," Pepper explains. "Of course I would invite you."

She considers Aya a friend, and both Gene and Tony get along well with her, too, which just makes it better. Some of Pepper's friends either Tony or Gene (or both) were somewhat leery about, which made having the party out of the house an even better idea.

"How are things going at Stark Industries? You're working on something for the turtle move right?"

Presents!

[lasergrenades]

Pepper didn't say anything here or there about presents, but given that she doesn't have many things of her own yet just about anything will be very, very much appreciated. Bonus points if the wrapping is extra clever.

At some point in the evening, she'll take a few minutes to unwrap things one at a time, 'oohing' and 'aahing' and giggling about the gifts. It's about the most childish anyone will see her.

[peacefullywreathed]

The wrapping is not precisely clever. Really, it's a box. It's a box with wrapping around it. And a ribbon. And a bow. Spoilers: Solomon did not do the wrapping himself. He didn't label it, either, so this particular gift doesn't have a nametag--though Solomon isn't exactly trying to hide which present is his. He just doesn't see the point in cards.

What's inside the box is hopefully more than enough to please, however, despite the disappointing wrapping.

Every young lady needs to be able to defend themselves, after all, and Solomon figured a weapon Pepper can wear under her sleeve or in a boot would be most useful. He did have to get a belt separately, but the one he found does at least match (or so Raine told him).

[lasergrenades]

The wrapping may be standard, but the gift inside is stellar. It's really quite beautiful for a dagger.

"Oooooh," she says, examining the details closely before pulling it out of the sheath. The light glints off the blade, and Pepper grins. "This is so cool."

Unlike a sword, it's short and elegant, and Pepper can see how it can be an extension of her current unarmed fighting style, although she may need to ask Bakura for some lessons to make sure she doesn't end up cutting herself.

"Man, I would never have gotten weapons for my birthday back home," she adds, laughing a little. "Thanks, uh..." There's no tag or card, but a quick glance through the other gifts and some deductive reasoning later: "...Solomon! Now I have something for when I'm not wearing the armor."

Which is most of the time now, so all the better for having something to fight with besides her fists.

[peacefullywreathed]

"Good catch," said Solomon, amused. He hadn't neglected the card deliberately to force her to figure it out, but it was a nice benefit, seeing her deductive skills in process. Apparently Skulduggery was doing at least something right.

"That's the idea," he agreed. "I wouldn't recommend trying to use it until you've asked Bakura for some training, but once you've had that it will be more practical than anything else.It should fit under your sleeve, or in a boot." There had been others described which Pepper may have liked more, but they had been bulkier; this one was slim and easy to hide.

"Especially if you need to go outside the city, for long periods." Solomon went on. "It's a weapon, but it should be fine for utility as well." Practical in more than one way; those were the best gifts. Guns could only kill. A knife could be used for so many other purposes.

[denyamenti]

Given that Pepper had hosted his birthday here at the dojo, it felt all the more reason to let her use it for her own, and it wasn't as though he were concerned about things getting out of hand. He has a small box, neatly wrapped, and he finds Pepper when she's not talking to her friends and the other guests.

"How are you enjoying it so far?"

[lasergrenades]

To say that Pepper was thrilled to be able to use the dojo for her party would be something of an understatement. She spends so much time here that it just feels right for some reason. People who she liked but didn't necessarily get along with each other were behaving, since this was something of neutral territory.

"This is super great. Like, as close to perfect as I could get," Pepper affirms when Bakura finds her momentarily unoccupied. She beams at him. Later, she's probably going to spend some time alone in her room missing her dad, missing having him at this party, but not right now. Now is for fun. "Thank you. Seriously." She pauses, glancing down at the box in his hand. "Is that what you're gonna use to make the dojo disappear?"

[denyamenti]

Bakura hardly thinks such thanks for a simple agreement to use the space is necessary, but as long as Pepper seems so happy about it, he's not going to argue.

"No, this is something a bit more understated," he says, holding out the box to her. "But also a bit more personalized."

Inside the box is carved wooden figurine, about six inches tall, smoothed and painted with meticulous detail of Pepper standing with Milus Radiant at her side. One hand is outstretched, as if she's in the middle of ordering the next move, and Milus' body language is alert and ready, but obedient.

Arno: Open!

[stubbornlittleshit]

Arno noticed the party being set up from where he'd been hanging around on the roof, and he decided that he might as well drop in and wish the birthday girl well. Pepper had been a big help to him, after all, that day they'd ended up shopping together,so it only felt right somehow.

He hadn't been entirely sure what was appropriate in the way of gifts, but he'd managed to depart in enough time to dart over to the markets and pick out something he thought might be appropriate. At home, for most women, flowers had been a gift of choice, and even Elise, so different from most of the ladies around her, had seemed to appreciate that gesture, so, perhaps Pepper would as well. It didn't take long to find a selection that reminded him of Pepper either, bright, and vibrant and, before too long, Arno had returned to the party, bouquet in hand, a smile on his face.

And, oh, but she reminded him of a younger Elise. The thought didn't hurt though, somehow, or the one where he realized that his best friend would have approved of that so much. In a way, he wished they could have met. Not that tonight was for the dead though. Instead, smiling, he made his way inside, looking for somewhere to deposit the flowers before grabbing something to drink and seeing who else might be about tonight.

[michaeljangelo]

The plan wasn't to break into the dojo. It was to wait until it closed for the night, pick the lock, and then use the facilities. Which technically doesn't break anything, so it's not really breaking and entering, just entering. In Mike's mind that's no where near as bad.

However! The lights are all on when Mike arrives, and so he just sort of wanders inside.

Imagine his surprise to find a birthday party.

"....huh."

[lasergrenades]

Pepper turns when she sees a green figure in the corner of her eye. She smiles when she sees Mike, excusing herself from her current conversation to say hello.

"Hi, Mike! Nice to see you again. I hope you like cake," she says, grinning.

[michaeljangelo]

Mike smiles back....until she mentions cake. That's when his expression takes a very VERY serious turn.

"....there's cake?"

[lasergrenades]

"Of course there's cake," Pepper emphasizes. "It's my birthday party. There has to be cake. It's a requirement."

Mike's sudden turn of seriousness would seem to indicate that he understand this very sobering fact.

[highprofilerichkid]

Tony is having fun, despite the presence of Solomon and his general mystification at the kinds of people Pepper is capable of befriending. There are plenty of people here he likes, so he just avoids the handful he doesn't. He intends to behave: he's not going to start any scenes with any bitchy necromancers at Pepper's birthday party.

The game table isn't getting much love at the moment, so Tony makes his way over there and grabs one of the packs of cards. He could find some people to play blackjack, or maybe do some cool mathematical card tricks... or he could stack the cards into a giant tower. Tony grins and dumps the cards out on the table, and starts constructing an absolutely outrageous card tower.

[lasergrenades]

Pepper only notices what Tony has been up to when the card tower appears over the top of someone's head that she's been chatting with. It's no surprise that he's the one building it, though.

Excusing herself, she heads for the impressive piece of card construction (carefully of course, let's not knock it down), and bends over a little to inspect it further.

"Wow, Tony. This is seriously cool," she says approvingly. "Did you do this a lot, back home?"

She can't recall any card towers in the armory, but that's probably because he had other material to build with.

[highprofilerichkid]

"Nah, not in a while. Nobody likes playing cards with me and my dad," Tony says with a grin. Nobody who knows any better wants to play blackjack with a Stark.

"But I bet if I had a couple hundred more decks I could build something really seriously cool."

[lasergrenades]

"Well, now I know what to get you for Christmas," Pepper remarks. "We should get pictures of this before someone knocks it down. That someone will definitely not be me. Probably."

It was one of those irresistible sort of urges and probably the reason why Jenga was so popular. She pulls our her phone and snaps a few shots; she's going to have a nice album by the end of the party.

"Have you already been perma-banned from every casino ever for being too good at cards?" she teases.

[wrathfulkhan]

"You have absolutely no idea how much I want to knock that thing over," Gene says as the tower grows and grows. "It is physically paining me not to do so."

[highprofilerichkid]

Tony looks up - or, rather, down - from his construction, and smirks.

"Go on, do it. I dare you."

He's definitely teasing Gene, but it's not clear if he actually expects Gene to call him on his dare or not. What will you do, Gene? Let the taunt slide, or indulge in some wanton destruction?

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene arrives at the party later than anyone might expect, but given what he's bringing with him, that might be explained why. It's a long, thin package, and it looks like he wrapped it himself.

Okay, so it's also apparent that he spent far too long wrapping it himself, because it is meticulously wrapped. There are a few benefits to being a perfectionist. Maybe.

[lasergrenades]

Pepper spots Gene almost as soon as he walks in the door, and she bounds over to him, all grins and sparkling eyes. He does not escape a big, warm hug.

"Gene! I was starting to wonder if you got lost, but that would be, like, super weird since you work here and come here like every day so then I thought something might have eaten you but that would just be silly. But I'm really glad you came," she adds, the last part a little slower than the torrent of the first part of her statement. "I know big parties aren't your thing."

She glances at the package he's brought, and it looks... Well, it's the origami equivalent of present-wrapping, all careful lines and folds. And it's an odd shape, although she can make a few educated guesses.

[wrathfulkhan]

Gene accepts the hug the same way a cat accepts a hug: with much distrust. But he hugs Pepper back as best he can while still keeping hold of her present. "Of course I came," he said, sounding sincere. "I know it's important to you."