( open ) it's a cool pool party!

[winscenario]

who: EVERYONE come on barbie let's go party
what: a pool party
when: sometime early August
where: Jim and Victor's place
warnings: none, will edit if need be

[ Slip on your swimsuit, grab your towel, put on a pair of sunglasses, and come on over— it's time for a pool party! Maybe you were invited by Jim, Victor or Lucy— they do have a bunch of friends, after all. Well, mostly Jim. What's that? You don't know any of them? Well, that's no problem! They've made sure to tell their friends they can invite whoever they want. Friends of friends, distant acquaintances, coworkers, what have you. All are welcome! There's a sweet as hell pool in their backyard now, a new addition to the house, so it's kind of like a debut. There's music playing, a wide range of styles that go from dance music to classical rock, and there are chairs, a covered seating area, and a few extra towels near the pathway to the pool just in case you forgot to bring your own. There are a bunch of floats both in the water and along the edge of the pool for everyone to help themselves to as they wish, and in addition to that there are a number of fun pool party games you can take up— water balloon fighting, balls available for some playful water polo, and whatever other game you can come up with. Feeling hungry or thirsty? Not a problem! There are several drinks and cocktails (anything alcoholic safely kept away from kids), and a bunch of snacks and sweets. To add to that, there's a nice barbecue set up near the grassy patch next to the pool, and a supply of ribs, burgers, sausages and corn is made available throughout the party. (Oh, and there's also a tiny porg and a water-loving dog.) So what are you waiting for? Come on in and have a blast! ]

Comments

[winscenario]

You might be a little upset about ruining that makeup of yours, though. [ One thing Jim knows is how time-consuming it can be to put your time into a certain look, and what a bummer it is to get it ruined. ]

If by 'buddy boy' you mean my boyfriend, yes. And you taught him that nickname. [ A pretty nice one, admittedly. He offers a hand out to her. ] It's nice to meet you.

[whosthemonsternow]

Please, I'm not that vain [yes she is, as she eyes the water a moment]

It's a great nickname, I'm glad he's really using it! [She grins and gives him a good hand shake, shrugging her shoulder slightly] I'm usually great to meet, glad to put a face to the much talked about James now, though.

[winscenario]

[ He narrows his eyes knowingly at her. He's practically written the book on being vain but not showing it, so! She's not fooling him. ]

Well, he used it once, as a joke. But I kinda liked it, not gonna lie. [ Even if technically he is a Captain, and not just a pilot. ] Does he talk about me that much, huh?

[ Not that he's surprised, really. Besides, he talks about Victor just as much, so. ]

[whosthemonsternow]

My pilot from the Project didn't like it much, she said it was "demeaning" but she also called us fodder so it was pretty even.

[She misses Niner, maybe not the most, but she misses her old pilot a lot. Goddamn it.

South focuses instead on talking, block the rest out, just run your mouth, kid]

Yeah, boy doesn't shut up. Every conversation he mentions you, like you're some kind of gravitational pull with him.

[winscenario]

I should think it more demeaning— I was a starship Captain, back home. But being a pilot— a flyboy is pretty awesome, too.

[ But then he's never thought less of an Ensign or a Lieutenant. Everyone has their value, their meaning in a chain of command, and out of it. Jim would be nowhere without his crew. Can't be a Captain without a lot of people with him, supporting him. Whether that's pilots, mechanics, engineers, doctors.

He chuckles softly, ducking his head at that bit of information. ] Guess we're both a little guilty of that.

[whosthemonsternow]

I mean, could be worse, could'a told him to call you a Prettyboy instead.

[She doesn't know if it's even worse or not, but it works.]

Oh my fucking god, you two are like school girls all giggly and flustered for each other. Gross.

[She says it with a grin though, clearly not upset or anything, just teasing to tease. She likes to tease, it's a way to make friends...right?]

[winscenario]

He has called me that before, actually. Teasingly. And also Captain Charming, so... you know, can't get much worse than that.

[ Victor calls him a lot of things. It's sweet. And gross, yes. They're never gonna stop being gross like that.

To that point, he just snorts and shrugs, pursing his lips. ]

Yes, yes we are. [ And Jim is 0% sorry or embarrassed about it. ] Fair warning, we're not gonna stop, so you may as well get used to it.

[whosthemonsternow]

Can see why, as gross as it is. Mushy squishy nonsense, it's terrible.

[Still teasing, she's more amused than anything. Mostly. She was never a lovey dovey person, so it's always a mix of weird and funny when she sees it in person.]

No promise I'll get used to it, but I can probably tolerate it for his sake.

[winscenario]

Speak for yourself. [ He grins, shrugging. ] More for us.

[ Honestly, Jim's never been the type before either. Being in love has done something to him. Not that he's complaining— far from it, actually. ]

See, that's what I call a good friend. [ He chuckles. ] So, how long've you been in the Quarantine? I've seen you around the guard a few times.

[whosthemonsternow]

Nearly a year now, feels longer some days, shorter other days. Seen you around too, but been more focused on work than socializing. But some friends apparently think I need to talk to people and be less of a recluse. Who knew.

[She's been more focused on not thinking about her bullshit past, too busy keeping people at arms length away, until Eddie and Cisco and a few others busted through her wall and now she's vulnerable and shit. And they could be in danger, everyone else she cared about was dead or just about-

But she's not thinking of that drama shit, she's thinking of having fun at this get-together, focus]

[winscenario]

I agree with your friends. Socializing is good for the soul.

[ But then Jim's a social butterfly. He'll talk to anyone, try to make friends wherever he goes. He's also pretty charming and annoyingly likeable, so it's hard to resist that. It's a trait he enjoys particularly, and takes full advantage of as often as he can. ]

Besides, you have to enjoy these lulls when you get them. You never know when shit's gonna hit the fan again. [ It always does, eventually. ]

[whosthemonsternow]

Ya know, that's true. Every time shit calms down, something else comes up. It's frustrating, but I guess it keeps us on our toes. And keeps the guard busy, don't want us getting too comfortable.

[winscenario]

True, but— imagine if nothing ever happened. Every month as quiet and peaceful as the next one.

[ He lets out a small groan. ] I mean, don't get me wrong. I don't like seeing people in trouble, or getting hurt. But if there weren't any regular missions and the possibility to explore beyond the walls, I'd go crazy. I'm not even used to being settled down on one planet for longer than a week or two anymore.

[whosthemonsternow]

Shit, yeah I feel the same. I'm used to spending maybe a week in one place, like, on a ship or mission, but being in one place is exhausting. Even with missions or nonsense happening all the time, I'm getting a little stir crazy.

[winscenario]

[ Jim laughs a little, nodding. ] Yeah, I know what that feels like. I used to feel that way a lot too, when I first got here.

[ Even when he had Bones with him. It feels different now, with Victor. Like he has a more settled sort of life, and he doesn't mind it much at all. ]

Do you plan on going back to your world?

[whosthemonsternow]

Well... [She shrugs exaggeratedly then gestures to her face, the scarred right side] I'm kinda dead as a rock back home so- yeah, no. Hard pass on going back.

[winscenario]

Fair enough. [ Jim tips his head in a nod. ] Sorry if that was too personal. I just think it's interesting, what each person plans to do, or if they struggle with a decision.

[whosthemonsternow]

Nah, asking about my brother would be too personal, that was fine. No struggle with my decision, though.

[Because it was made for her, and she's still kind of pissed about that but, well. Nothing she can do about it.]

[winscenario]

Makes sense. I don’t think anyone would struggle with that decision much, if they were in the same situation as you.

[whosthemonsternow]

Probably not. Live here and be alive with a purpose, or go back and be a corpse. Probably not "party talk" but, to be fair you asked.

[winscenario]

That's right, I did. [ He lifts an eyebrow and nods. ] To be fair, conversation topics in this house tend to get a little weird sometimes, so it's not that unusual.