riverviewlogs | It's a party, ya'll

Entry tags:

It's a party, ya'll

who: Everyone's invited!
what: That potluck he mentioned
when: Saturday afternoon
where: The park
warnings: None so far!

[True to form, Remy pulled out all the stops for this particular potluck. He has it on good authority that Rogue's bringing cornbread, but he's got what seems to be a wireless two-burner setup that he's brought along to the park, one of which is dominated by a very large pot of fragrant and spicy gumbo, and the other by a very large pot of cooked white rice, on warm. There's a small table with plastic-seeming (but totally biodegradable) bowls and utensils, two large coolers (because people might be bringing drinks), two big folding tables (for all the things that might be brought) and a big expanse of the park to cop a squat in and have some good grub, place some outdoors-y things, and have some fun! The park as a grill too, if someone wants to fire it up!]

(OOC: Feel free to post your own starters and have a ball! This is meant to be fun, after all. If you want Remy specifically, let me know! He'll be wandering around.)

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[Remy's going to either be helping set up food people bring, dish out some of his ~~not-so~~ famous gumbo (he's going to change that, damn it), relaxing on a lawn chair in the sun, having a beer, or you know, whatever! It's summer, the sun came out, this is supposed to celebrate life, right? And friendship. Honestly, the Cajun will take any excuse for a party. It's way better than the doom and gloom all the time.

He's wearing another of his t-shirts and some shorts, flip flops. It's a party, alright?]

[True to her word, Alex showed up at park toting two boxes of cookies that had obviously come from a bakery. After all, the only things that Alex could make only required boiling water in the form of coffee, ramen and mac and cheese. She's also carrying a bottle of red wine.

But perhaps more miraculous in and of itself is the fact that Alex is not carrying a coffee. Not only is she not carrying a coffee, but she actually looks like she got a fair amount of sleep, and while there are still dark circles below her eyes, she doesn't feel the need to slather them with makeup. After all, despite what it may feel like to her, sixteen hours of sleep still isn't enough to even put a dent in her massive sleep debt. Alex Reagan is all smiles, and great moods and plus ones somewhere about.]

[Said plus one was standing behind her, tall and imposing for all the world to see. His hands were stuck deep in the pockets of his suit pants as he followed, looking to all the world as if this were the last place he wanted to be.

It was.

There could have been more sleeping; he'd told her there could have been more sleeping. She was clearly tired if she'd fallen asleep as soon as everything was moved in. If Alex were worried about him getting bored (she shouldn't have been) she'd brought, surprisingly, enough books to keep his interest for a few hours; and he didn't mind sitting in bed and reading while she slept. In fact, he'd been doing that before she insisted they come to this gathering.

He leaned over to growl low in Alex's ear.]

You're enjoying this, aren't you?

[It wasn't genuine anger, just, annoyance. Somehow, Richard felt like he was Appo, and she was happily taking him for an unsolicited walk.]

[Richard couldn't say that this was the last place he wanted to be, but it was quickly growing on the list. Things like picnics and traditional functions were things that he'd abandoned ages ago. In their place, there were lecture halls and excavation sites, and they suited him fine.

Here, he was out of place. Even as he walked behind Alex, he watched the unknown people around him, trying to decide which mind they were from or how this place worked. Warren had apparently been planning this for a while if it was this inclusive.

When Alex made her way over to some people that she knew, he simply stood by and waited. It wasn't as if he knew anyone here or had any intention to engage.]

[It's probably for the best that Shalimar had stumbled upon the open invitation on the network. She's no good at having nothing to do and even less well-equipped for it when there's hurt and anger simmering beneath the surface. Someone or something had taken family from her and it's for the best that she doesn't dwell on that too much.

Which isn't to say she doesn't need a little assistance there. Which would explain the wine and the whisky she brings with her because she promised she'd contribute and it's better than hoarding the whole lot for herself.

Throughout the afternoon, she's rarely seen without a drink in hand though she at least seems somewhat sober. She's friendly and open to company, even if it's an effort to appear that way, and she's happy to pour a drink for anyone who's near the coolers while she's topping up her own - though no alcohol for the seemingly underage!]

If only it were that easy.

[Delivered with a nod to his t-shirt as Shalimar settles next to him, careful not to drop her food or the plastic cup of wine she's allowing herself on the grounds the food will balance it out.

Her words are a passing comment, more an ice-breaker than anything deep and meaningful. Only right to at least check in with the host.]

Quite a gathering you got going here.

[Freya has her long blond hair tied back in a ponytail and is wearing a Buffy the Vampire shirt with a pair of jean shorts. Her mouth is curved in its usual trademark smile and there is a small box held carefully in her palms. She makes a bit of a show of setting down her offered treat and then opening it up.

Inside the box is a carrot cake with a cute little icing bunny on top. She didn't make it but the bakery who did put a lot of care and love into the cake. It is also the only cake they had that didn't have some amount of chocolate in it.

The trip to the bakery had been disappointing but she's over it and ready to party. She's also ready to try all of the other food.

When not eating, she'll slide up to anyone there and greet them with an energetic smile.] Hey! Having fun?

[When he asked in her ear, Alex just grinned up at him. Oh, that little growl was going to be a thing wasn't it? Especially because he was so good at reading her and would have caught the shiver that accompanied it. Really, Richard Strand's voice was even better for radio than her own, and sometimes that just wasn't fair. But she couldn't even be annoyed about that right now.

No, for the first time in a long time, Alex actually felt happy and it wasn't because she was lighting a candle or had shared a flower or had burned some incense. Instead, she was just happy on her own merits, and it was due in no small part to the man behind her, and the fact that she'd slept more in a day than she had in a week. Honestly, there was a part of Alex that almost felt bad about feeling so good when people were getting sick, but she wasn't going to turn her nose up at feeling good either. It wasn't that she didn't care, because she did! It was because they needed breaks too.

When she turns around and looks up at him, Alex is grinning and she doesn't even bother to deny it.]

Yep!

[He'd noticed the shiver and, at the moment, it was vaguely annoying. He wasn't trying to make her shiver or excited in any way. He was expressing his displeasure at her forcing him to come. He could have been at the bookstore looking over materials for his classes, or even looking for books and other things for his own, now growing library. Instead, he was here with Alex in a place where he knew no one and had even less inclination to get to know them. This was hardly how he wanted to spend his time.

Richard let out a heavy sigh over her ear, knowing it would have the reverse effect on her then he really meant. That is unless she decided to leave the picnic and go back to the housing complex with him. He wouldn't mind that at all.]

How long are we going to be here?

[As much as she liked the growl, Alex knew his annoyed sigh probably better than anyone else. Normally it was sort of a fifty-fifty shot if she was going to be annoyed back or try and defuse the situation. Sometimes Alex herself didn't even know until the words came from her mouth. Today, however she just ended with a soft sigh in return, and as a response she just slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and gave it a soft squeeze before she smiled up at him.]

Not long.

[Her voice was soft, because she meant it. The last thing she wanted to do was push him into full on arms crossed over his chest super annoyed mode. She did it on accident often enough, and she didn't want to cause this over dragging him out to something. But he needed to get used to being here, and over his delusion of it being a delusion. The best way of doing that, Alex herself had found, was to realize that these were real people going about their real lives.]

Besides, it gives you a chance for observation seeing people not doing the whole mourning thing. And look, wine and gumbo that you don't need to cook! You don't have to be best friends with them, Richard. Just meet them.

Edited 2018-05-08 02:09 (UTC)

[He chuckles, following her motion just enough to get she's talking about his shirt.]

Sho' nuff, chere. Dat rock, he's a cheater, non, and I know a cheater when I see one.

[He nods, though, looking around. He's...happy, and proud that people have come out just to have some fun.]

Ain't often people like dis place collects let their hair down, Shalimar. Any pay I get dat to happen is a good thing.

[He turns back to her, though.]

What about you, eh? You enjoyin' yourself?

[Remy's busy making his rounds like a good host, which means he swings in to Alex's side when he sees her, smiling and easing her burden by relieving her of one of her cookie boxes.]

Bonjour, Alex. Glad ta see ya made it, an' ya brought de cookies. Tres bien. You bring yo' phone too, right? Make sure you get de park.

[He smiles though, because she seems pretty damned happy.]

Good day, eh?

[While Rogue's one hundred percent supportive of Remy and the potluck in the park to bring everyone together as a community concept, there's still a great deal of personal apprehension stirring within her. True to form, Remy attracted a flock of pretty females, and while it's something she constantly expected, it's never been something she particularly enjoyed witnessing. Even now she had no right to have ruffled feathers. They weren't together and that's entirely on her.

And yet her green eyes were very keen on observing those at the gathering, both as she approached from the air and after she'd landed smoothly at the edge of the potluck with a picnic basket crooked in one arm. Her hair's up in a messy bun, curls escaped and tussled from the flight there, and she clearly chose to land close enough for an entrance while still keeping enough distance for safety. She'd dressed Southern chic and quite utilitarian for the occasion, a pair of black gloves and sunglasses completing the look (and hiding any jealous glares she's incapable of controlling).

What? She's an adult. She could behave.

True to her word, Rogue brought two bourbon pecan pies and a large plate of corn bread, all homemade, and that's one of the first things she busied herself with after she arrived. Once the very unhealthy and terribly delicious foods were unloaded from the basket, she tucked that under the table and gave the folks already gathered a curious perusal. Truth be told, the flight had taken more out of her than usual, and she didn't much like feeling tired and achy.]

[In his travels, Remy leBeau has met a lot of different types of people. There were the charismatic guys, like him, who could make themselves at home in any sort of crowd. There were the quiet times, like Hank, who would rather stay in their labs and continue research than join a party except for a select few. There were scholars and philanthropists, the suave and the awkward.

This guy looked like a mixture of a few of them. Putting on a nice, companionable smile, and made his way over.]

Bonjour, homme. De name's Remy. You don't look like you've been around here long.

[He's wearing sunglasses which serve to hide his strange eyes, not that he's wearing them for that purpose.]

[He hadn't expected anyone to pay attention to him. A six-foot tall, not particularly distinct stranger seemed like the sort of thing you'd simply ignore. At least he'd hoped it was. For the most part, he was right. Except for this man. Which, was surprising.

He hadn't initially noticed Remmy's approach, lecturers and professors didn't exactly need to be on their toes when it came to being approached. Most of them didn't have powerful enemies the way he did. Still, he hadn't bothered to change that particular blind spot. If Warren were going to come after him, then no amount of alert would help. So it was only when Remmy spoke that he turned to look at him.]

Richard Strand. I just, arrived, a few days ago.

Edited 2018-05-08 04:18 (UTC)

[There was another sigh, but he slipped his hand from his pocket, sliding his arm up so his fingers could twine with hers. This was a part of his life that Alex could never understand. She was an extrovert and naturally likable. In fact, it was damn near impossible to hate Alex Reagan. It took force and determination. It was why he'd come back every time he tried to pull away.

He, on the other hand, was nothing like that. He was a force that repelled others. Unless, apparently, your name was Alex Reagan. Ruby didn't count on the list because she was an employee; Charlie wasn't on speaking terms with him until just recently. There was only Alex. He didn't expect that to change any time soon. He was, after all, abrasive and stubborn.

He knew that. He knew his faults and flaunted them proudly. He doubted anyone would be interested in getting to know someone like that.]

I like cooking, Alex. And I'm not exactly a likable person.

Edited (I REMEMBERED WHAT I WANTED TO SAY!) 2018-05-08 04:59 (UTC)

That so? I guess in a place where some of them are actually alive, that gives them all the edge they need.

[Provided there isn't also sentient scissors and sentient paper, of course.

She sets her tumbler somewhere safe so she has hands free to eat, fork in hand even as she continues the conversation because heck, it smells good and that's making her hungry.]

I don't know, the last couple of festivals around here seem to have made a good go of getting people to relax. This one not so much, though.

[And she's refusing to buy into the excuse to mope.]

I can't say I'm sorry I came, at least. You picked a good day for it.

[Given the recent floods, it's nice to have drier weather to enjoy being outside in.]

That looks amazing and smells even better.

[It wasn't the greeting Shalimar would normally choose to go with, but what the heck - this was a gathering centred on food and no harm in complimenting someone on their choice, right?

Either way, she was glad to see a familiar face - precious few of those around here and even fewer of late - and particularly someone she didn't have to explain herself to when it came to who and what she was.]

It's been a while. Hope this place hasn't been too unkind to you.

[Alex Reagan is one hundred and twenty percent of introvert. She can't help it, it's just who she is. And though she does try to understand Strand's introverted nature, there's just a part of her that will never get it. But it wasn't the only reason why she was dragging him to things and forcing him to meet people. There was only so many things that he would be exposed to on his own terms, and she was of the opinion that the only way he was going to get over the delusion of this being a delusion was to give him more data.

In her mind, people equaled data. He wouldn't believe this place was real until he could proof it, and this was a way of getting him proof.

Alex's fingers tightened around his, and she just grinned at the not exactly a likeable person comment.]

Is an hour or so with wine and food so bad, Richard?

[Alex is at the other end of the Canada speaking North America, being as she's from Canada, but french does sound more than a little bit like home and she grins even more for it, but does manage to avoid slipping into it herself.

But she gestures to her wrist where her phone is.]

Yep! We're good for the park though. We got it on the first day! It's the best place to run, really.

But yeah. [Alex is pretty glowing.] Really good day.

Yes.

[The answer was immediate. An hour, a half hour, even several minutes in an area with people who he was supposed to be 'getting to know' was an unusual form of torture to him. He felt, uncomfortable, by the very thought of it. Except here he was, walking head-on into just that. Because of Alex.

Because it was Alex, and because he knew her far too well, he relented. It wasn't worth fighting over; especially now that they were there. However he would get back at her for this, eventually. For now, he just let out a heavy, frustrated sigh.]

One hour. At most.

[He would, of course, accept less time, but not more.]

Okay, okay, one hour at the most.

[He was trying, and so Alex would be agreeable too and not push him past that limit. Compromise, they could do it, even if they were two incredibly stubborn people with incredibly strong personalities. It was one of the reasons that they liked each other so much, even with everything that had happened to them. Honestly, if they weren't their partnership wouldn't have lasted past that first episode.]

Thank you, Richard. I mean it.

[And then she smiled up at him and gave his hand another squeeze, because she was glad that she'd gotten him even out of the apartment if nothing else.]

Do you want wine or do you want me to see if I can find something stronger?

[He was doing his best, honestly, but Richard was far more out of his depth here then he would be in a UFO abductees meeting. Still, he'd try, if he had to.]

I think a middle-aged man drinking wine by himself might be, awkward.

[There might have been some self-deprecation there. A humbleness that hadn't often shown around Alex, but he also didn't feel well, and he didn't want to be here. Besides, the mental picture did seem a bit shady.]

Pfft. You're not drinking by yourself. You're drinking at a gathering. Way less awkward. But I can still try and find something stronger.

[A grin, because she is from Seattle and people from Seattle are beer snobs and it's just a thing along with being a coffee snob and Alex is probably never going to get those particular things out of her habits.]

I suppose I could try and find you a can of budweiser if it would help...

[Don't be fooled by that innocent look, Richard. Alex clearly knows what she's doing.]

[She's goading him, that's what she's doing, and he knows that better than most.

Still, he'll rise to the bait, slightly.

A brow rose just a bit at her suggestion and the corner of his mouth threatened to smirk.]

And I thought you didn't want to poison me.

[Richard could be called a lot of things, but a beer drinker was not one of them, and especially not a cheap beer like that. He was hard liquor and fine wines, a product of before his times and branching into it. A product of his father, his upbringing, and of being used to drinking alone.]

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It's a party, ya'll

Remy leBeau | OTA

Alex Reagan OTA

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Richard Strand | OTA

Shalimar Fox | OTA

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Freya Vaughn - OPEN

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Rogue | OTA

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