It's Party Time | Open to CR

[lionunchained]

who: Shiro, Keith, and close CR
what: Keith's birthday
when: Saturday
where: Shiro and Keith's house



A few days since the memories had stopped and a couple of nights of decent sleep and Shiro was back to his normal self. Now that he was feeling better, he remembered that he had missed something: Keith's birthday. Even Keith had forgotten it with everything that was going on. But Shiro needed to fix that.

As discretely as possible, Shiro had gotten an idea of who Keith's friends here were. Of course he also had some idea based on who had come to see Red when the lion had arrived. Some people had been generally curious while others had clearly heard about the lions from Keith and wanted to meet them in person. So he had used that as an opening to figure out how close Keith was to certain people. Once he had had an idea, he had begun to invite people.

The day of Keith's party, he made an excuse to get Keith out of the house for a while so Ed could come over. He needed help to get the decorations up in a short amount of time, plus surprising Keith wasn't necessarily the best thing to do so letting him know at some point there were people at the house was probably a good thing to do so Shiro would have to meet him or stall for time for everything to get arranged.

Which of course he did eventually have to leave to meet Keith once guests had started to arrive. Soon when he returned, it wasn't quite a surprise party for Keith... just a surprise it was for him.

However, Shiro couldn't leave without putting a party hat on Red. It was a party for her paladin after all so she should be festive.

[ooc: open to CR. Party crashers, be aware there are two robot lions - one the size of a liger - and if the host or guest of honor get annoyed with the party crasher, there will likely be a lion or two ushering them towards the door.

invited guests would be - Lola, Marinette, Ed, Hana, Al, Nico, Lyle, Genji, X'rhun. Shiro's going based on what he was able to gather]

Comments

Set up

[lionunchained]

Shiro had made sure to leave supplies for Keith's party with someone else so that Keith wouldn't find them. It also didn't help that there were two lions in the house now. Black only recently had more ability to use the stairs – having used the banister destruction incident as a reason to work on expanding the stairs – but Red was all over the house. Something new in house was bound to get her searching it.

So after he got Keith out of the house initially, he texted the person who had the supplies so they could come over.

OT- whoever is here early? IG?

[threatenwithcuteness]

Lola arrived early, she wasn't the one with the supplies Shiro had. She'd bought her own items for various foods a little more... filling, than just snacks. Her hair was red for the occasion, and she had a cute red apron to wear as she worked in the kitchen putting things away where she can find them, so if someone wants something a little more than chips and nachos she can quickly throw something together. As well as burgers and other easy foods to make. Not to mention two huge trays of baked goods.

"Okay, all my stuff is squared away, where can I help?" Plus, Lola being here helping meant the chances Lola spilled the beans to Keith were drastically reduced.

[alchemyfreak]

It was only natural for Ed to notice Lola, even if they weren't some of the few arriving early. Although they had both been busy with their own work, he did venture into the kitchen eventually once he was done with preparations. "I think everything's all set."

He quirked an eyebrow at the red hair, realizing it was a rather unusual color for her compared to the softer tones he was used to. Of course, Lola always being one to match was wearing a red apron as well and he smirked some as he glanced over the food that was out. "You've got a theme going today, I see." He seemed amused, but it was clear he approved - after all, he'd be a hypocrite not to since red was also his own color of choice.

OTA for Early Arrivals

[alchemyfreak]

After having set up the Floor Six party and then a birthday party for Al, Ed had been quick to agree to help Shiro set something up for Keith. He wasn't exactly an expert on these things, but he definitely knew that there were things he could help with while Shiro was busy with more important planning, or even things that Shiro couldn't do as easily as Ed could.

Once he was certain that Keith was gone from the message Shiro sent to arrive he set out to gather everything and head over with Alphonse and Val as a group. Although Al might know most of the guests from earlier interactions and his own party, Valeria was new enough that introductions were likely necessary. Ed would make sure to introduce her to Shiro first, as he had asked to bring her along and similar to the Floor Six mingle, it was especially good for the host to know who was attending.

Similar to the parties Ed had hosted himself, he could be found setting up wherever he was needed, mostly around the food - or on the off chance anything needed transmuted before the event started and Keith returned.

Entertainment and Food

[lionunchained]

Shiro had tried to pick things that the young adult would like to do. Of course any music that Keith seemed to have been listening to here (since he could hear it in the house) would have been options to play in the background and there were video games to play, mostly racing games because that's what Keith liked and liked to play.

Shiro had used the island counter of their kitchen to set out snacks. Of course, some of them were more junk food than he normally ate, but they were all party type snacks. More importantly, they were snacks that Keith would like.

There was also a cake, but that would be cut a little bit later.

Mari-Mingle OTA :3

[de_evilise]

When she got the message from Shiro about Keith's birthday, you can bet your sweet bippy she was going to attend. She was also surprised because the topic of birthdays never came up in their conversations, and she had been hesitant to bring it up in case it was a sensitive topic for her friend. It was also a surprising coincidence that she had JUST finished the gift she had been making for Keith - although she had honestly wanted to add more to it. She could always make another later, and it wasn't like the finished product neatly tucked in the box under her arm was subpar.

She was also probably one of the first to arrive, and she was bringing the enthusiasm in spades. First going to greet Shiro and offer any help with setting up he might need. Of course if that was turned down she moved on to step two of her plan, to greet the birthday boy and mingle with any other guests showing up. Also that cake looked incredible. She's ..gonna get a picture of that before it's cut into.

[tempredmental]

Mari shouldn't mind Keith too much when she managed to catch him. He seemed a little embarrassed, maybe kind of awkward and overwhelmed, but happy nonetheless. He gave her a alightly awkward smile when she came up to him.

"Hey... thanks for coming."

Lola in her natural habitat - OTA

[threatenwithcuteness]

Games
For a girl who, on her Earth, spent a lot more time with gaming nerds than she would care to admit... she was the absolute worst at them. This didn't stop her from trying, and failing, at various games. Until she got so fed up she started swearing in Spanish at the console. She wasn't as competitive as her friends, but it didn't mean that careening off the road into a dark horrific abyss every three seconds didn't bother her.

...Maybe take the controller away.

Dancing
Lola, would not be Lola, if she didn't use being at a party to drag people into dancing. She'll spare the birthday boy, but everyone else is not safe. Keith might not be safe if the crowd dies down, but when there are a lot of people Lola knows better. She might try to get the lions in on the dancing too.

Do not let Lola get the lions in on the dancing too.

Food/Wildcard
Lola, when she's not being super social party person(tm) will retreat to the kitchen to... not hide, but just make herself busy. Some people might want something a bit more foodlike than snacks and she's better at cooking than most, and she brought supplies just specifically to make things. Also the occasional fresh plate of nachos is never wrong.

Never. Wrong.

Come hit her up, or hit her up in a random unintended way.

Dance with Red?

[tempredmental]

Keith might not be much for dancing, but his Lion apparently had other plans. The smaller red robot was actually mingling and investigating everything. She'd never experienced something like this before, so watching these strange organic beings gathering together for something like this was intriguing to her. She came up to Lola, the elastic strap of a party hat caught around one of her teeth. It had apparently fallen off at some point, and, having learned how to do this without knocking people over, she lightly bumped Lola's thigh with her forehead for attention. Help her put the hat back on? She'd dance with you if you did... the tip of the Lion's tail loosely swung back and forth in amusement.

Birthday Boy! - OTA

[tempredmental]

Keith had managed to keep the somewhat overwhelmed feeling at bay. Shiro hosting a party in and of itself hadn't been a surprise because he'd told Keith as much when he'd come to meet him earlier. But, coming into the house to find out it was actually for him was a big surprise. It had been a while since the last time he'd had an actual birthday party... like a really long while... and, even if it was just Shiro and the Lions from home, it was actually really nice to see other people he'd made connections with in Riverview showing up, too.

He generally felt weird being the center of attention, though, so he might be a little awkward at times throughout.

[bunnyhopped]

[ Hana... didn't quite make it to the 'surprise' part of this surprise party, but at least she'd made it at all? She'd been pretty subdued through the whole thing, really, compared to her usual pep, so it was almost like she and Keith switched places with Keith being pretty happy about his birthday and Hana being a grump.

But when she found an opening to talk to Keith one-on-one, she came up to him with her present in her hand. It was pretty artfully wrapped in shiny red paper that had cats on it. She at least managed a smile for him as she handed him her present. ]

Here you go. Happy birthday, Keith.

[ and if he opened it, he would find a pair of racing goggles. ]

[holds_up_walls]

Lyle had received an invitation to the party from Shiro, honestly a little surprised considering as far as he knew, Shiro had never seen him talking to Keith at all aside from when he had gone to meet Red. Well, maybe that's how Shiro had determined who to invite.

Either way, because he had been invited, he was going to come. The hardest part was trying to figure out a present because they hadn't really talked much. But he had picked up a sweatshirt he thought he would like and wrapped with red paper.

Red definitely seemed to be the color of the party. When he arrived, he headed over to Keith. It was only appropriate after all.

"Hey there. Happy birthday."

hana | ota with brackets bc i do what i want

[bunnyhopped]

[ Regrettably, Hana arrives (fashionably) late. Later than the party's start, and she misses the 'surprise' part of it entirely, instead waltzing in with a wrapped present for Keith and possibly a cyborg ninja in tow. She'd been out on patrol the night before for the Guard, and getting up out of bed has been pretty difficult the last few... weeks. So when she shows up, she looks uncharacteristically tired and devoid of her usual upbeat energy.

She gravitates toward the video games, naturally, but even in her element she seems just kind of. Indifferent even as she smashes all the bots in the races. Doesn't mean she'd turn anyone away who would want to challenge her, though!

At some point she does get up from that, making her way to where the food is and hovering around the chips and dip, specifically, kind of just grabbing and eating directly from the big bowl instead of grabbing some for herself or something. ]

OTA | one more for the bracket squad but do whatchu want tho

[verflair]

[ When Shiro invited X’rhun to Keith’s nameday celebration, he readily accepted. It was only afterwards that he realized he had no idea how namedays were actually celebrated in Keith’s world— only that they were apparently called “birthdays” instead.

And gifts. Gifts were a thing.

Admittedly, he was never much good at giving gifts, especially considering he’s about two decades out of practice, so while he feels a bit bad about not coming up with a suitable present, he figures he can talk to Keith and come up with some sort of IOU.

So, during the party proper, X’rhun can be found milling around just about anywhere. He’s a friendly guy and always up for lighthearted conversation. Hells, he might even take a crack at the video games if pushed— and do very, very poorly, but at least he’s a good sport about it.

Also he may or may not suddenly get into a show of how many pretzels he can eat by tossing them up in the air and catching them in his mouth.

Stupid flashy red mage. ]

[tempredmental]

[Pretzel tossing, eh? Keith might just snag one mid-toss as he walked past.

What now?]

[bunnyhopped]

[ Hana looks very tired, hunched over on the couch as she sort of mindlessly pressing and tapping away at the controller in her hands as she plays the racing game. She can practically do this in her sleep and in fact, she yawns as she looks up and finds X'rhun nearby. ]

Hey, gramps. Has anyone showed you video games yet?

Clean Up

[lionunchained]

After the party had been completed, Shiro packed up any leftover food for those who wanted to take it. He also started taking the decorations down and putting everything back the way it had been. Anyone who was willing to help was welcome.

Clean up dat OTA

[de_evilise]

SO, with the wrap up of the party, Marinette, rather than head back home, decided to stick around to help with clean up. Shiro put so much work into arranging the party, and Keith was the lucky birthday boy. And it was a lot of clean up to do, so she was more than willing to help out with that, along with anyone else who was helping with clean up!

[alchemyfreak]

Ed had agreed to help out, which meant not only setting up but the follow through of cleaning up as well. He was hardly one to do things halfway. Although he left the food packing to Shiro, Ed could be found doing just about anything else that revolved around cleaning up, including transmuting more than one mess rather than attempting any of the more more traditional methods.

In way of making conversation, when he noticed Marinette had stayed behind to help as well he offered an easy smile. Ed was not much of a birthday party type, so he likely hadn't been too social during the affair itself, but now as things settled down he seemed much more relaxed with a new purpose. "Enjoy the party?"

[tempredmental]

As they were cleaning up, Keith managed to catch Shiro by the arm to get his attention.

"Hey..." He gave him a small smile and then pulled him into a hug. "Thanks..."

[lionunchained]

Shiro was slightly humming to himself, currently performing the after party ritual of decorating the Black Lion with red streamers (also known as "here Black hold these") when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned to see the birthday boy standing there.

"Hey." He made no attempt at all to resist being pulled into the hug, hugging Keith back. "You're welcome, Buddy. It's a milestone. It should be celebrated. Did you enjoy it?"

CLOSED to the Birthday Boy - After the Party

[threatenwithcuteness]

So once the party has died down, the clean-up is done enough, and everyone has gone home... someone hasn't. Gone home. Lola just kinda vanished after she finished putting away leftovers and wrapping food. She wouldn't be so rude as to leave without saying goodbye. She would be so rude as to sneak into Keith's room, change into something more comfortable, and play on her phone waiting for Keith to come upstairs. Laying on her stomach and basically showing off.

To Lola this is a totally reasonable course of action.

[tempredmental]

So, they had finished cleaning up, and seen everyone out, even those who stayed to help clean. It was appreciated! Keith thanked Shiro again for putting it together. The whole thing had actually been pretty cool, and it had somehow managed to remain mostly low key, so that was appreciated, too. Keith wasn't one for massive parties and gatherings, so keeping it small had been good.

He came up to his room, carrying a few things he'd gotten from people as gifts, Red following behind him. Lola might hear the tail end of him telling the Lion that he wasn't going to keep using her as a pack mule, and he could carry his own stuff. She was still a little sore about the fruit harvesting thing they'd done a few weeks ago with those man-eating plants. Tying baskets to her like saddlebags had been almost insulting, and it had taken some pleading from Keith to get her to do it.

Either way, he opened the door at that point, and stepped in. And stopped. Red pushed past him, completely unbothered by the situation, and settled down in her usual spot near the desk.

"Uh...hi." Because it was a loft bed, he couldn't fully see what she was wearing... just that it was white, kind of see-though, and that she had bare arms and legs.

CLOSED to Shiro - Rated A for Awkward

[threatenwithcuteness]

So as far as plans went, Lola almost had one when it came to the morning. Getting out of bed without too much hassle, changing from her nightgown back to her clothes. Packing her stuff back in her bag. Shoes in hand as she tiptoed downstairs to just sneak out without anyone being the wiser she was there.

Well, except Keith, and Red. They were very aware of her being there.

She hoped she was awake early enough that nobody would be downstairs to catch her. Not that... she knew that Black slept downstairs, or that Shiro was an early bird.

...So maybe her plan was more just vague positive thinking.

A+

[lionunchained]

Sorry, Lola. Not knowing the schedule of the house and Shiro's own weird sleep schedule means she has no chance of sneaking out undetected.

Shiro had realized something was off when he had gone upstairs soon after Keith had to put something away and Keith's door was already closed. Shiro knew Keith was introverted so he'd planned on leaving Keith to himself anyway after the party. But he didn't necessarily have to close his door since everyone had left and Shiro wasn't exactly a noisy housemate most of the time. Also shutting Red into the room?

He had also gotten the feeling from Black that not everyone had gone. The lion had spent a lot of time observing the party and the people who had come, which made perfect sense since the Black Lion seemed to take up the position of protector, so Shiro had no reason to doubt what the lion said.

This wasn't a problem with Shiro. Keith was an adult. He could have anyone over he wanted. But the "older brother" side of him was curious if it was true.

When Lola came down the stairs, the first thing she'd notice were the glowing yellow eyes mixed with light blue lines from the direction of the couch. Black was awake and watching her as she came down the stairs. The lion rumbled, resting its head on the arm of the couch, which groaned a little at the weight of the robot.

And that's when Shiro came out from the kitchen, having just gotten up and started up the coffee maker. He quite easily spotted Lola coming down the stairs trying to sneak out.

Yeah, there was no sneaking out.

"Morning."