Let's partyyyyyyy! [open]

[livingdeadgirl]

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.

Comments

[itsnotaonesie]

[Here he was all ready to start jumping defensive, but now Ami's looking all bummed out and shit, and he doesn't want to be That Guy. Her outburst is obviously coming from somewhere, even if he's kind of tipsy Peter can see that. Big brother senses are tingling, okay. He has to fix this.]

I don't need it, promise. This is the first time I've had anything like this since way before I got here, and even back then it was just one time. I'm sorry, though. Seems like you've had to deal with this before?

[livingdeadgirl]

[ Buhhhh. This is stupid, why did she go and get all worked up. Now she's going to have to explain and she doesn't even like to admit this person exists and... gosh dang it.

But it's not fair that she went off on him like that. She should at least tell him why. ]

... Yeah. My sister.

[ She sighs, taking a second to clear her head. ]

Sorry. My sister used to, like... she's ten years older than me, and she hung out with a lot of bad people. I just ... I keep thinking about this one time when Mom and Dad went out of town for the weekend - I was like, six, I think. And she went and threw this huge, wild party, and invited a whole bunch of strangers, and there was booze, and drugs, and fighting, and it was just... really, really awful.

[itsnotaonesie]

[Wow now Peter feels extra bad about this. I mean it's not like he could have known any of this, but still.]

Dude, you don't have to apologize to me at all. That's all super shitty. I'm sorry you had to deal with all that.

[livingdeadgirl]

[ Ami looks up and shakes her head gently, apologetic herself. ]

You're fine. I still shouldn't have gone off on you like that.

[ - she sits up a little straighter, realizing something. ]

A-and I don't want you to think my whole life was like that, it wasn't! My parents are really cool and supportive, actually. Like, they never let her babysit me again after that. They tried really hard with her, she was just... a bad apple.

[itsnotaonesie]

[That is a relief, Peter was starting to worry. At least it sounds like her parents knew what they were doing.]

That's good. I mean, not about your sister, obviously, but I'm glad it wasn't always like that. Your parents sound really cool.

[livingdeadgirl]

They are.

[ She smiles softly, thinking of them. Making bento with her mom, the rice balls with the little faces on them. Dad helping her with her Japanese homework, or driving halfway across town to pick up a truckload of occult paraphernalia somebody's roommate left behind, and he didn't get why she was into this stuff, really, but whatever made his little girl smile. Letting her keep that weird dog with horns that only ate grass. Agreeing to let Luna sleep over whenever so she'd have somewhere safe to go.

God she misses them so much. She feels her eyes start to water, and carefully rubs them clear, trying not to mess up her makeup. Okay, okay, no tears, none of that! This is a party for gosh sakes! And I mean sure it's her party and she'll cry if she wants to, but she doesn't want to, so Peter still gets a smile. ]

Sorry. You must think I'm a total buzzkill right now. I guess I just - I used to really look up to her, and I really look up to you, and, y'know, just.

Don't overdo it, okay?

[itsnotaonesie]

I won't. And it's fine, you're not being a buzzkill, but you do look like you need a hug. Just sayin'.

[He pushes himself to his feet and straightens himself out a bit, just in case she does need that hug.]

Offer's there if you need it.

[livingdeadgirl]

[ ... You know what? She does need a hug. No sooner has he offered than she's on her feet, too, squeezing him tight around the ribs.

We really don't deserve Peter Parker. He is too good for this world. ]

[itsnotaonesie]

[That's what Thanos said HEYOOO He can handle a rib squeezin', he has very strong ribs. He gives her a squeeze right back, only not a very strong one because he doesn't want to crunch her shoulders.]