[Closed - Floor Six and Friends]

[alchemyfreak]

who: Floor Six and Relevant CR (All characters are encouraged to invite friends!)
what: Alphonse Elric's Surprise 18th Birthday Party
when: September 23rd
where: Floor Six
warnings: None, and not expecting to need any.
Please put any appropriate warnings in comment subjects and I'll adjust accordingly



If Jay hadn't suggested it, Ed probably would not be planning a party for Al. They were generally pretty low-key and after so many years in Purg birthdays were hardly a thing, nevermind the sort of life they had back home. Still, Ed had found a way to keep Al out of the communal building to provide enough time to prepare for the floor for what should be a relatively small gathering of friends.

Similar to the party thrown in July when his brother had first arrived, Ed had gone through the trouble of making sure plenty of snacks and food were in stock for anyone interested. Once again, anything your character could find within the Quarantine may very well be available, soft drinks, juice, some forms of alcohol, chips, cookies, pretzels - the usual assortments of party food. Requests and special diets had been taken into consideration as well as organization that allowed for food that may not be edible to the majority being set aside and labeled as such. The kitchen island was covered in bowls of treats and the buckets that had been used to carry the water guns were on the floor, filled with ice and holding additional drinks as well. There will also be pastries baked by Lola, food prepared by Jacob Kane, Otabek Altin and Shigeru, an apple pie for dessert made by Jason and an assortment of other possibilities - anyone is welcome to bring or make their own dish to share.

Games were laid out in the entertainment area, for anyone to help themselves to. Cards, board games, video games etc. Ed figured that some people might show up before Al arrived and others may not get there until he had returned, better to have things for everyone to enjoy themselves with either way. Although Ed only had a small list of people to invite - half their friends lived on the floor, and they hadn't made too many lasting friendships yet with how many people had gone home - he tried to invite anyone he could think of that might be interested and did encourage others to bring someone along, should they so choose.


[OOC: Characters invited will consist of Floor Six, and Floor Six CR. If a character has a few degrees of separation from Floor Six they may also be invited as a friend of a friend. If you would like your character to come and are unsure how or if they might be invited send me a message and I'll work out a solution with you! Chances are if you think your character would get an invite, you're good to go. Alternately, if you want an actual IC invitation in your character's inbox, let me know!]

Comments

Before Party Set Up

[alchemyfreak]

Once again snacks are being put out, final touches are being made to whatever food prep is happening on the floor itself. Drinks are being unpacked and put in the fridge or one of the makeshift coolers on the floor nearby. The kitchen is littered with bowls of chips, pretzels, popcorn etc. Feel free to hop in here to observe or help out if you're early!

Games and Entertainment Area

[alchemyfreak]

Games were laid out in the entertainment area, for anyone to help themselves to. They can be removed from the area, as long as they're put back where they were found after. Cards, board games, video games etc. Feel free to grab a game and challenge someone to play, or just comment on the weird things the Quarantine offers for "games".

Food

[alchemyfreak]

There will also be pastries baked by Lola, food prepared by Jacob Kane, Otabek Altin and Shigeru, an apple pie for dessert made by Jason and an assortment of other possibilities - anyone is welcome to bring or make their own dish to share. As the party progreses bowls of snacks are refilled, moved and removed so feel free to get creative with options!

[shoplifter]

[I don't know what you expected, but Laura orbits the food trays like a planet, stacking and stealing and stuffing her face. This kid cannot be tamed. Feel free to catch her any time throughout, because she will be looking at the buffet in confusion, awe, and hunger.

... If her case worker is around, she sure isn't visible.

(Hint: Laura snuck out a window to attend this party in secret.

Sorry, Linda.)]

[alchemyfreak]

[Ed is honestly not surprised to find Laura more focused on the food than anything else. Maybe he just got used to that from the kids he practically raised in Purg, nothing made any of them happier than sweets or food so it was a major focus. Which is probably exactly why his invitation to her was literally just "hey kid, come eat pie and cookies."

He sets a tray of chips and dip down where she's currently hovering and offers her a grin in greeting.]

You shouldn't fill up on junk, save room for the pie later.

[There is actual real food, too. Appetizers, entrees. Some people brought things and Cain made some, but he's sure she's less interested in that and he's not about to hound her to be responsible. It was a party after all.]

[shoplifter]

[She stops in mild confusion to look at him, her plate totally full at this point. There is no dish left untouched. But more importantly, she is too busy being unsure of what he's even talking about.]

What's pie?

[tempredmental]

[Keith felt a lot like Laura, but was definitely keeping himself under a lot more control. He had a decent plateful of food, but he was pacing himself because he knew he could come back for more later.]

You don't have to take everything right away, you know.

[He looked a little amused. He recognized her from the shop, and was definitely getting vibes from her now about an unconventional upbringing. Stealing from shops, hoarding food, there were a lot of signs he recognized a little. Shiro had stepped in to help him, and Keith was seeing this as an opportunity to pay it back... or forward. However one wanted to look at it.]

[shoplifter]

[She glances between him and her plate of food, brow creased.]

¿A qué te refieres?

[Another wayward glance around the room.]

... What if someone takes the rest?

[Clearly, she'll turn away and the whole table will be bone dry.]

[threatenwithcuteness]

*Have a glass of fruit punch, small child who has no table manners.*

There are things other than food at a party, you know.

*Lola's more amused than actually put out by Laura's appetite. She's a small child who does not seem like she had a good childhood. In other news water is damp.*

[shoplifter]

[Oh, gracias!]

What sort of other things?

[She's already looking around, as if playing I Spy with party things.]

I know there is candles and balloons. At birthdays.

Wind Down and Clean Up

[alchemyfreak]

After the party everything needs to be cleaned up again, so anyone willing to help is welcome to put away scattered games or throw out whatever they trash they see. Pack up some leftovers and take them home, there's plenty of food to share.

Clean Up

[hititwithacrowbar]

Jay had been there at the start of the party but had vanished somewhere in the start of things. He just couldn't handle being around that much happiness even if he enjoyed being around the boys he had just slipped out when no one was paying attention. It was much later when he returned, shrugging his jacket off and hanging it in his normal spot before he pushed his sleeves up and got to work on cleaning things up. He would forever deny it but he was a bit ocd when it came to levels of cleanness, sure he had let it slip while he had stayed with Bizzaro and Ma Gunn, but here he just felt the need to straighten up.

And the birthday boy and his brother didn't need to clean up the mess in his opinion.

[alchemyfreak]

Ed noticed Jay's disappearance, mostly because there was no way he'd miss it. Jason had been the one to come up with this idea and insist they bake something - which meant learning how to make an apple pie specifically for this occasion. So for him to be missing from the actual event, that was something Edward was fully aware of.

He is, of course, cleaning up. He threw the party it was his responsibility to get everything back to normal and although he'd appreciate any help that was offered he wasn't going to just let Jay do all the work alone. When Jason returns and starts his own clean up, Edward doesn't waste time dodging around the subject. "You know, if you had something to do today we could have planned this for a better time."

Sorry Jay, he is forever unimpressed that you contributed as much as you did and then vanished for the actual fun.

[hititwithacrowbar]

Jason looked up from where he was straightening up, looking right at Ed, there was a bruise forming under his left eye. Bruises never seemed to last long on him thanks to the lingering effects of the Pit but some nights he looked like hell, usually he'd just take a shower and go to bed if he showed up like that. This wasn't bad in his book.

"I didn't have anything to do. I went out, that's all." He spoke with a shrug. "I just don't do these kinds of parties well." It was the best way he could think to say it. Even in Bruce's care when he was shoved into fancy suits and paraded around he had hated it. The truth of it these days was it reminded him of how much he missed. "Did he have fun at least?" That's was his concern as he picked up more trash.

Clean Up

[tempredmental]

[Well, he hadn't been there for set up, and wasn't all that great at cooking for parties, so Keith forced himself to stick everything out to the end so he could help clean up, at least. He wasn't much of a party person, so hanging around that long wasn't exactly easy, but it had been a smaller party, so he stuck it out as best he could, and was putting things away now.]

birthday boy! ota

[alkahestic]

ARRIVAL →

[ having spent the previous night with ed at the general store and then cleaning up afterward, al has no suspicion that a party has been planned for him. so when he arrives, he's taken by surprise, eyes wide and bright as he realizes what his brother has planned. it's a celebration and al can't help but grin because it's so thoughtful of his friends and his brother to put it together.

the first thing he does is make his way to his brother and wrap him up in a big hug. he squeezes ed and whispers a "thank you" in his ear before pulling away. then, he addresses the party at large: ]

Thanks so much, everyone! This is the best!

MINGLING →

[ after making the rounds, al finds himself over at the table with presents stacked on it. it's been a long time since he's had a birthday party, but he's happy just to have friends and family there to celebrate. still, there are so many people and things to do, he doesn't know where to start. he grabs himself something to drink from the food table, already eyeing the apple pie (!!!) before turning to one of the guests with a smile. ]

Are you having fun? I can't believe how many people have come!

PRESENTS →

[ along with the tables for food and drinks, there's also a place to drop off presents. al will get to it eventually, but he's too busy at the moment making the rounds and enjoying himself. ]

AFTER PARTY (closed to Ed) →

[ after most of the party has died down, al takes his chance to pull his brother aside. it's a moment or privacy and quiet that allows him the chance to truly thank his brother for everything. not just for the party, but for the night before and being able to spend private time with ed. his fingers wind in ed's shirt and he's still smiling enough that it feels like his cheeks hurt. pressing his forehead to ed's, he makes a low noise and whispers again. ]

Thanks for everything, Brother. This was amazing. You are amazing.

Present and a mystery!

[hititwithacrowbar]

[ One of the cards left, someone had put far to much work into. It was all made of magazine letters. It looked like a fancy pretty card on the outside, inside it looked like a stalkers letter, except it had a time and and an address, which was for two days after the party around sunset at the lazer tag arena. If Al knew the address.

The card had no name on it, but near by was a box, inside was the coolest boots Jason had been able to find. After all, the king of kittens should have some bad ass boots.]

[alkahestic]

[ the shoes are definitely cool. al looks them over with glee ( they remind him of his brother's boots, but cooler ), and is even tempted to put them on at that moment, but abstains only because he's checking out the rest of the gift.

the card is strange. it's a bit sketchy given the way it's made of magazine letters, but al figures it must be from someone he and ed know because how else would they know to buy him those boots? he sets the card aside and makes a note to visit the address at its appointed time. ]

[hititwithacrowbar]

[ The card would eventually lead them to the rest of Al's gift. ]

[shoplifter]

[Laura isn't really sure how to buy presents for anyone. There's mention of it, of birthdays needing gifts; Delilah never got a chance to have her birthday, but Laura doesn't remember their being anything but a cake, anyway. Thoughtful and careful, she is quick to ask around for what constitutes as a genuine present. Eventually she settles for these little figurines. Clearly she's done some espionage work to try and decode Alphonse, the guy she's yet to meet, and yet... Edward invited her, so she makes the most of this kind gesture. Also, to eat a lot of the food.

She goes right up to Alphonse and holds up the newspaper-wrapped box.]

Edward's brother.

... Feliz cumpleaños.

[alkahestic]

[ taking the gift from the young girl, al tilts his head in questioning. he doesn't know her but has no doubt that ed is familiar with her. there's something familiar to her, like elicia or even nina, but also different. and since she's made the effort to bring him a gift, he smiles kindly at her and gives her a nod.

what she says doesn't make sense to him, but he can guess the context. it must be "happy birthday" in whatever her language is and that just makes him smile more. ]

Thank you. Mm, I am. My name is Alphonse. What's yours?

[alchemyfreak]

[Ed doesn't really think much of the night before, this was the big thing - that had been more of a distraction. This also hadn't been his idea though, so at the thanks he just ducks his head slightly, smiling in response to Al's excitement.]

Nah, it was Jay's idea anyway.

[Still, there was more to come and even though the laser tag had also been Jason's mind at work, Edward did have one last surprise for his brother once this was all said and done.]

Besides, you haven't even gotten your gift yet.

[alkahestic]

[ reaching out for his brother, he shakes his head. ]

Doesn't matter who came up with it or what my present is, Brother. To be able to share this with you and our friends... It's perfect.

[ though, that isn't to say al isn't curious about what ed's gotten for him. ]

mingling

[tempredmental]

[Keith nodded.]

Yeah. It's a nice party.

[It wasn't crazy overwhelming for the introverted desert boy here, so that was already a plus in its favor. The ball had been a lot to take in all at once, so he was relieved that this was quieter.]

Though, I think the really important part here is if you're having fun, right? It's your party.

sorry for the delay

[alkahestic]

[ while the elrics are known for being extravagant in their transmutations, the way they spend time together has always been a bit more low-key. family has always been important to them, which is why al grins when he sees shiro arrive with a friend from his world. ]

I'm having tons of fun! Did you see? Jason even baked me a pie. I can't wait to try it.