𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍 ✧ 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚝𝚘𝚘, 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚜

[realists]

who: jyn & cassian & friends
what: housewarming party
when: mid-august
where: jyn & cassian's home
warnings:

--

It's not a very inviting text but since technically Jyn did invite the recipients to come to a location at a predetermined time, that counts as an invitation and Cassian cannot complain. The location is a small cottage home, space masonry covered in the same creeping leafy ivy as the rest of the moon, an overgrown garden on the side of the house being (what looks like violently) cut back to make room for the fresh plots of tiny herbs, each carefully labeled. There's a welcome mat and the door is open with the sounds of music drifting out of the screen door.

(Side note: none of that was there if early recon happened on the [LOCATION], so jot that down. This happened nearly overnight.)

Once inside, it's... shit, is it a party? Is it a party in Jyn and Cassian's new home that they got without telling anyone, moving in the cloak of night so that they could steal literally all of the furniture in their apartment that wasn't nailed down? Well, the shrimp dispenser is there in the kitchen and Jyn's wall of herbs are still there so that must be the case.

That's 100% what happened.

The kitchen is full of food, made by Cassian, and alcohol, and there is a small ginger cat prowling around and a small grey pile of fluff that occasionally makes a noise so it must be alive, the music is low enough to hold a conversation, and of course there is shrimp. Never ending bottomless shrimp. This is the extent of the party but be grateful that a year after Jyn and Cassian arrived in the Quarantine, they're inviting their, like, five friends to their home. Some people have never even seen the apartment, but that time has passed. Pour one out.

In addition to the food, there is one single cake, homemade, because turns out this party doubles as a joint birthday party. You know, for the birthdays neither of them told anyone about.

Yay! Party!

Comments

[realists]

"Sounds like it would." Honestly Victor, what is your ridiculous life. "Apparently there's books about us--" She gestures unerringly toward Cassian without looking. "Veracity yet unverified but probably as ridiculous. Anyway the book was something of a character assassination and I didn't like it."

And if Jim likes Victor then clearly he's not a bad dude.

"I am sorry about your family."

[jolting]

It didn't surprise him that much to hear there were books about her and Cassian. The benefit of living in a town where being a character in fiction was normal.

"It was a long time ago," Victor shrugged, "but I appreciate it. Anyway, I think I have a pretty amazing family now." His eyes found James and his expression softened. "Sometimes the one you choose ends up being better than the one you're born into."

[realists]

"He's okay." Which is high praise from Jyn, let's be real.

Victor's comment hits home however, thinking about the crew of Rogue One that forced her into their family despite her protests and general demeanor of an irritated cat. Admittedly, her family wasn't that bad, but she has so much repressed trauma with regards to her parents that she just shuts down that part of the equation before she can think about it further.

"I agree."

[jolting]

"I guess he's all right," Victor agreed with an amused spark in his eyes. "You picked a nice house," he added after a moment. "I especially like the wild garden you've got going on. Gives the place personality."

[realists]

"I'm trying to cut it back to make room, but I like it too."

She glances around the house with a small smile, as if taking it in again. Truthfully the furnishings haven't changed but now they have rooms??? Which is wild after a year in a studio apartment and a lifetime on single rooms.

"Cassian picked out the house."

[jolting]

"Ah. Well then, Cassian has good tastes in houses. I completely missed this one when I was looking for a place for me and Lucy." He had a feeling James was going to ask for more details, so he didn't put her through the questioning twice.

"It may take a while to feel like you're settled, but obviously you're both happy with the place." He glanced around at the party meaningfully. "James and I haven't even done a real house party yet. With one thing and another keeping us busy, there hasn't really been enough down-time."

[realists]

"Jim would have been cross if we moved and didn't invite him so I figured we could beat everyone to the punch. Cassian likes cooking."

She shrugs, it made sense and she had wanted people around to celebrate Cassian's birthday even if she has said nothing about his birthday. It's the same thing.

[jolting]

"Is he any good?" Victor asked with a raised eyebrow. Jyn was blunt enough that he knew she would give him an honest answer, even if it wasn't a necessarily nice one.

[realists]

"He made everything here that isn't the cake or the shrimp that isn't part of a dish." She shrugs. "He's actually very good and very irritating. He's not bad at anything."

AND SHE SOUNDS SO LONG SUFFERING ABOUT HIS GENERAL COMPETENCY. Just be utter shit at one thing, please.

[jolting]

He recognized the tone and couldn't help being a little amused by it. "Not bad at anything? How about..." Victor trailed off, trying to think of something really unusual. "Making balloon animals?" The idea of Cassian doing such a thing was pretty amusing, actually.

[realists]

"What's a balloon animal?" She hasn't seen those yet, but honestly she still thinks Cassian would be annoyingly good at constructing them. However that may be accomplished. He's good at everything.

It's infuriating.

[jolting]

"Well... you take a balloon and you shape it to look like an animal. Like a dog, or if you're good you can get really crazy with it." He'd never seen anyone do it, but he imagined it was difficult since the goal was to not pop the thing.

[realists]

Jyn looks...

Bemused.

She knows that people who don't grow up in war are weirdly normal, but that doesn't sound normal, it sounds just weird. Do they do it for fun? For competition? What are humans.

"How do you make a balloon look like a dog?"

[jolting]

Victor just shook his head at that question. "I have no idea. I just imagine it takes skill."

[realists]

Jyn glances around at her party, in her home, and debates the merits of peacing out for twenty minutes to run to the library and look it up.

"I'll be back."

And she just darts off to do just that, ducking out the back door and apparently LEAVING HER OWN HOUSEWARMING PARTY to figure out why balloon animals exist.

[jolting]

He did not expect Jyn to just walk out like that. He certainly wouldn't have predicted it when he brought up the subject. He was just making conversation. But Victor did have to admire her for sating her curiosity immediately. It was something he would do.

He smiled a little to himself and went on to help himself to more of the food. Cassian was going to have to play host on his own for a while.