tushanshu_logs | This time we're gonna get funky

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!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Honestly, with all the junk food he eats, it's amazing Gene can even hold him up.

"Or what?" Tony says, tilting his head back to grin at Gene.

"Or else I'll do this," Gene says, and starts tickling Tony and really, you should know better than to bait him by now.

Well Tony is a master baiter ~~oh my god~~.

Tony yelps and springs out of Gene's arms. "That's not fair," he laughs, and flicks yet another card at Gene. Back off, buster! No tickling in public! ~~Because we all know where that leads.~~

"Are you gonna keep being a jerk, or are you gonna help me rebuild this tower?" Fwip. You know, Tony, your protests might have more impact if you stopped obnoxiously flicking cards at your boyfriend.

Oh, Tony. You're such a card.

~~C'mon, they're not gonna get out of hand at Pepper's party.~~

"I guess," Gene says, and begins collecting the cards. ~~This isn't a metaphor for New York or anything.~~ "How do you...build these?"

"Well, the standard construction is based on setting the cards up like triangles," Tony says, clearing off a space on the table to demonstrate, "but there's this guy who makes a living off of card building, and he uses a square cell structure like this."

He sweeps a pile of cards over to Gene for him to practice with. It'll be fun!

Gene stares at the cards. "People make money off of that?"

What a ridiculous, useless skill! He must learn it at once.

"Only because he's the only guy in the world who does it professionally," Tony points out. "He does a lot of commercials and corporate promotions, that kind of thing."

He starts stacking some of his pile into a foundation for a new tower. "What, are you thinking of going pro? You can't use the rings to cheat."

"That's still ridiculous," Gene says, shuffling his own set of cards around, and then he sniffs at Tony's preemptive accusation.

"I wasn't about to."

"Uh huh." Tony smirks. "Let's see how far you can get with out tweaking the coefficient of friction, then."

"I wasn't about to!" Gene says again, and starts setting up the cards. Very carefully.

He doesn't get far before they start collapsing, but he can at least make a triangle that stays up for a moment.

Tony snickers, but only a little. He's not going to make too much fun of Gene. Lording his superior card-stacking abilities over his boyfriend isn't worth spending the night on the couch.

"The four-card cell is probably easier to start with, actually. The triangle kind of sucks." Observe the master at work. "This structure can hold almost seven hundred pounds per square foot." Engineering!

Or Gene sitting on Tony's stomach. Which would also happen, honestly.

"Huh, I see." Gene examines Tony's four-card cell and imitates it. It takes a little doing, but he gets it in the end. "So I have to ask. Exactly how much are you enjoying teaching me about engineering?"

Tony's smile widens. "You know, I never thought teaching would be my speed, but I guess it's not too bad. Why? Are you having fun learning it without cheating with the Ring of Cosmic Space Google?"

"Oh, come on, I barely use the rings for anything." Except when he couldn't remember yesterday who directed The Sixth Sense. And the other day when he was trying to win an argument. And-- okay, so maybe he does use the crimson ring too much.

"But yes, as a matter off fact, I am."

"Well, you should come hang out in the lab more. It's not like you need a permission slip to get in there."

Tony has noticed that Gene tends to avoid his lab. He knows he's not always the most entertaining company when he's absorbed in work, and he'd figured Gene needed some time away from his perpetual science supernerdery. But, hey, if Gene wants to spend more time in the lab, Tony's sure not going to stop him.

"Or you could come take classes at the College makerspace." Tony beams.

"I...wasn't sure you wanted me in there," Gene says, sounding hesitant.

He'd like to spend more time with Tony. But he also knows that Tony needs his space.

"Sure. I could take classes at the makerspace," Gene says genially (ha!). "What do you think I'd be good at?"

"Why not?" Genuine confusion. "Pepper and Rhodey hung out in my lab at home all the time. Unless they were mad at me. Or, uh, I was mad at one of them." Let's be real, it was usually the former.

"Um... I don't know. What do you think's interesting?"

"I don't know. I thought it was just kind of your own personal space and you didn't want people hanging out in there." He shrugged and kept trying to build the four-card structure.

"Um..." He looks at Tony, suddenly confused. "I don't know."

"Sort of...? That doesn't mean I don't want people around, though." Personal space. What a concept! "I thought you didn't want to sit down there being bored while I ignored you for some project. Or listen to me talk about science for three more hours every day." Tony chuckles uncertainly. "Or because of... how things used to be."

Believe it or not, it has occurred to Tony that his lab tinkerings may not hold the best associations for Gene.

Gene shrugs and folds his hands on top of the cards.

"I don't...I don't care. I just like...being around you," he mumbles. And yeah, some of his hesitance was because of how things used to be. But things weren't like that anymore. He had to remind himself of that every day.

"Well. Okay. You can hang out in my lab? Permission granted?"

Yikes. This got kind of weird. This is maybe something they should talk about more, but probably not at Pepper's birthday party.

Tony nudges Gene with his elbow, smiling again. "I can teach you how I made the Egg-o-Matic 9000."

This time we're gonna get funky

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I was informed that I have a contractual obligation to make this joke, sorry, I didn't make the rule

it was right there. it was RIGHT THERE

dishonor on your cow

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