redshiftlogs | Let's partyyyyyyy! [open]

Who: EVERYONE.
What: A meet-and-greet party for everybody in Anchor!
When: early October
Where: the VR room lobby
Warnings: none yet
Format: go wild!

[ The day before, a wild network post appears, from the username @aa : ]

hi everyone!
i just wanted to let you all know
the meet and greet party previously discussed in this space
will be held tomorrow afternoon!

it will take place in the vr room lobby
and of course everyone is invited
refreshments and games will be provided
but if you would like a little extra challenge
please feel free to bring something to share!

attendance is mandatory!
(lol just kidding)
seriously though i do hope to see all of you there ;)

[ She's also posted handwritten signs to that effect in the mess hall and several of the staircases. Just in case! ]

The day of, a party appears in the VR Room lobby area, as promised!

Though it's not brightly lit, the lights there are are brightly colored, creating a chilled-out evening atmosphere like you'd find at a club. Plush chairs and couches are interspersed throughout the room, and there's been a solid attempt to clean the place up, or at least do something about all the dust.

A shortage of conventional party supplies has forced Ami and Cho to get creative, so the tables and parts of the wall are decorated with paper flowers, and the buffet table is presided over by a number of ... weird, pink, glitter-covered, vaguely animal-shaped sculptures made out of spare plastic pipes and stuff. With googly eyes. If nothing else they're a conversation piece.

FOOD: The main offering is barbecue! There's a pretty wide assortment of meats, all of which Cho has certified safe for human consumption, and also certified delicious. Chips, dried fruit, and a few different desserts are available, including homemade chocolate chip cookies that Ami made herself (wich Cho's help). All the trays are helpfully labeled, including allergy information.

Any and all potluck submissions are welcome as well! Just set it down over here and make a little card of your own.

DRINKS: Sadly, the coffee machine is still out of order. But there is a cooler stocked with ice and a few different choices of juice and soda. Alcoholic selections are limited to two types of pre-mixed drinks, which are intentionally weak on the alcohol, but at least they're not tequila sunrises. If guests want anything stronger, they'll need to bring it themselves.

ENTERTAINMENT: In fiddling with the controls, Ami got the overhead speakers to play some music, but couldn't figure out how to modify the playlist, so it's just one song on loop. Maybe if she keeps the volume kind of low, no one will notice. No live music is scheduled, but if anyone wants to bring a guitar and jam for a while, they will be more than welcome to.

And most of the arcade games are online! Anyone for Fruit Ninja? Air hockey? Dance Dance Retribution? Virtual Billiards? Or perhaps you'd like to try out a full-simulation game in the VR Rooms proper? Now's as good a time as any!

Oh, and don't forget to enter the raffle! The winner will be chosen randomly and announced a few hours into the party.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's a good thing Ami's recruited some of the best help that Anchor has to offer!]

[Kieran looks up from where he's been placing some of the trays of food. There's a small towel hanging from his back pocket, ready to wipe tables down when needed.]

Wait, we had cookies?

[...Yup. Best help ever.]

[ Oh geez oh man oh geez how could they forget the cookies this is the worst thing ever- ]

Yes!! I made a whole bunch of - where's Cho? [ Cho isn't here right this second, though. She's probably off riding the food cart back to the kitchen or something? ] Was she going back for more? Maybe she's getting them. I gotta text her.

[ She takes her comm off her belt, but she's so frazzled she fumbles and drops it onto the floor. Argh!! KIERAN HELP, SHE'S LOSING HER MARBLES HERE. ]

[KIERAN IS USUALLY THE ONE DOING THE FREAKING OUT HE DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE THIS AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH]

[Except he has!!! To!!! Step!!!! Up!!!!!! Okay!!!!!!]

H-Hold on! This ain’t worth panickin’ over!

[He bends down to pick up Ami’s comm and hands it to her, switching to a tone that’s a bit lower and calmer.]

[It may be the same tone of voice he uses with his horses, but Ami doesn’t need to know that.]

Go ahead and get in touch with her, but it ain’t, uh, it ain’t a big deal if we can’t find the cookies. We got everythin’ else here, and everyone’s gonna love the party no matter what. Honest.

[ HI KIERAN HOW DO YOU LIKE BEING THE ADULT IN THE ROOM? It does seem to work, though, since Ami takes a couple of deep breaths and calms herself before taking the comm back. ]

Okay. Yeah. You're right. I just worked really hard on those...

[HELLO, IT'S AWFUL.]

[But it's also weird being told that he's right??? For once??? What the heck???????]

I know ya did, and I'm sure they're great!

B-But let's get everythin' in order before we start worryin' about that stuff.

It'll be easier to think when we're done runnin' around, too.

[ Ami closes her eyes and nods. Right. It's okay. They don't have to worry about the cookies right this second...

As soon as she opens her eyes again, though, she fires off a quick text to Cho anyway. Better safe than sorry. THEN she puts her comm away and tries to wrangle her focus. ]

Right. Everything in order. [ She steps forward and surveys the scene, checking things off out loud. ] Centerpieces are good. Wall hangings: good. Food signs... are all the food signs in the right places? That's important. [ Cause allergies and stuff. ]

[Uh oh.]

[...How best to bring this up.]

That, uh, I ain't sure about that, honestly.

[He was pretty up front about it with a couple of other people, maybe he should do the same with Ami.]

Can't read.

[ Ami blinks in surprise. Once, and then a few more times. ]

You can't?

Naw.

I-I mean, I could. I'm, uh, I'm learnin'. Ben's teachin' me.

[And he's really grateful for it!]

Just, uh, I'm not all that good at it yet.

[ Aww, that's really sweet...! We truly don't deserve Ben Hargreeves. Ami smiles sheepishly. She's never actually met an adult who was illiterate before, but given that he's from cowboy times, it's not hard to believe. ]

Hey, that's okay. Maybe I can help, too, if you want! Or at least dig up some recommended reading. I think the library has a children's section. [ beat ] I mean - not that I'm, like, insulting your intelligence or anything! They're just easier to read.

Naw, don't worry. I know what you mean.

[NOT GONNA LIE IT STUNG A LITTLE, but he doesn't hold the children's book comment against Ami. She means well, and she's a hundred percent right.]

A-And if you wanna help, I ain't gonna say no. But, uh, d-don't feel like you gotta or anythin'. It's nice of you just to offer.

[ Ami grins widely. ] Hey, don't sweat it! It's the least I can do.

[ Since, like, that other thread at the ranch? The one where he will probably have saved her bacon more than she saved his? That was like, yesterday to them. ]

I remember some that I really liked as a kid. [ Ami you're still a kid. ] So this could be a trip down memory lane for me, too! ... Er, so to speak. [ Since she also gets much more literal trips down memory lane. ] I wonder if they have "Where the Sidewalk Ends"...

[He was about to say!!! Ami!!! You are a child still!!!!]

[But he doesn't, instead he keeps nodding.]

What book is that?

Oh, man. It's a book of poems by Shel Silverstein! It was one of my favorites. Most of them are pretty short and a little irreverent. Like, um -

[ Man, years later and this one still sticks in her head, so she'll just go ahead and recite it in its entirety. ]

"Teddy said it was a hat,
and so I put it on.
Now everybody's asking where
the toilet plunger's gone!"

[Okay, that's funny.]

[Kieran snorts, then grins.]

That's great!

The whole book's full of, uh, p-poems like that?

Yeah! And there's a sequel book that's pretty much the same deal. I'll see what I can find!

[ Hee. They should probably get back to actual party prep, but this has given Ami something nice to look forward to, so she doesn't feel quite so stressed about it now. ]

Learning's always easier when you make it fun. Right?

I-If you say so.

[He’s not saying that sarcastically or with any doubt. Kieran genuinely believes Ami! The thing is, he’s never done much book-learning in his life, so he legitimately doesn’t know what he’s missed.]

We should keep on puttin’ everything out. Y-You feel better?

[ Ami smiles and gives him a quick hug. ]

Yeah. Thanks, Kieran.

Let's partyyyyyyy! [open]

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