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 Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 5:36 am
[[OOC: I am marking this as an "Open" RP, but please be sensitive in how you decide to invite yourselves. This is Tallulah's seventeenth birthday and it is a private party. A youma may come out of the cake. This is obviously open to anyone who Tallulah knows and considers a friend, and any friends of friends who want to invite themselves. If you're planning to gate-crash, that's cool, too, but I would prefer that people Tallulah actually knows come first.]]
Today was Tallulah's seventeenth birthday, which was odd because it didn't feel a whole lot different from sixteen. She hadn't been in the habit of birthday parties in recent years, but her parents had insisted that she have one. They were, she reflected as she set up the ice rink's party section, probably just scared that she had no friends.
Tallulah had friends, of course. Just not ones that she was certain would show up for ice skating, even if her parents were footing the bill. This was why you had to bribe them there with promises of pizza and cake. A very large cake. She couldn't help but eyeball it suspiciously every time she passed it - her recent stints as Sailor Europa had made her wary of anything the least bit unusual.
The plates were set, the pizzas were in the oven, and the soda was on ice. The only thing missing were the actual guest. Tallulah sat down to strap on her skates, and then waited. And waited. And waited...
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 6:49 am
Jaimie had to admit he wasn't so sure about the ice-skating bit. It certainly wasn't that he couldn't... he adapted to skates decently well, though it really required more work to be proficient at than he was really willing to spend on it. Never the less, he had brought skates as well as a gift, though he had to get a new pair, since his old ones had disappeared under what he referred to has "Hillworth Circumstances".
Fortunately he'd already had to go gift shopping anyway, so it had sort of worked out. The gift was an silver necklace with an enameled silver cat that appeared to be lounging on the chain, one paw draped down, a holding a tiny enameled toy mouse which swung from a chain tail.
Given how they'd met, he'd thought it appropriate, though the cat was a different color than the little stray he'd picked up once.
Still, he hoped she'd like it.
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 5:16 pm
Tallulah drummed her fingers on the table, beginning to consider despairing. Where was everyone? She knew people would come - at least, she hoped people would come. She didn't think she was that unpopular. She sighed, letting her head droop onto her arms, and then the door opened. Someone had arrived.
Tallulah got up and moved clumsily towards the guest. She was already wearing her skates, and while they were graceful on the ice, they were unwieldy off it. "Jaimie!" she called, once she was close enough to recognize him. "Jaimie!"
She threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I'm glad you made it! I was starting to think no one would come!"
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 5:30 pm
"Ah they're probably just fashionably late." Jaimie joked, giving her a hug and a quick kiss in return. "Otherwise I'll just go hire some knee-breakers to go find people to attend." he joked. "Be all Don Leontyne, huh?"
He grinned, hoping the jokes would help raise her clearly flagging spirits. Was he really the first person to actually show? Crazy!
"Hey, you gotta tell me if you want your present now or later."
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Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 6:41 am
"Probably," agreed Tallulah, although she couldn't help but sound a little bit worried. What if no one came? That would be embarrassing. And they'd rented the space for three hours, too! And all this food... What a waste of money. She kissed him again, trying to take her mind off it.
"I'll open it later," she said - she'd always been one for opening presents in private, after the party, and then composing thoughtful thank you notes in her own sweet time. "Come on, put on your ice skates," she added, pulling him towards the tables. "Let's go skate."
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 7:27 pm
Dani had found precious little to be cheerful about as of late, and so when word went around that it was Tallulah's birthday, she was more than ready for a little bit of celebrating. Ready enough that she dipped into her concert-ticket savings to splurge on something really nice for a present. After all, it wasn't every day you turned seventeen, right?
The same could be said for any birthday, but that logic had no place on a shopping spree. So, to cheer herself up, she'd gone out and purchased a really nice scarf, in just the shade of blue that would look really stunning on her school friend. Of course, a scarf couldn't go without a matching hat and gloves, right? Though not exactly matching. She'd hemmed and hawed for a while until she found the perfect set, which had naturally meant she'd dragged her father around the mall for about two hours.
It was good for him, really. He had last minute Christmas shopping to do anyway, which she reminded him of all-too-cheerfully, having already done all of her own.
Well. Mostly all.
She had to buy something for Parker still, but she was being very particular about it. Dani liked her presents to really suit the person, because that was the point, right? So not just anything would do.
She thought she'd done a good job for Tallulah, though. The winter gear plus some really nice perfume that she'd almost wanted to buy for herself, but had opted to put in the pretty silver gift bag instead. She always knew the gift was a good idea when she wanted it, after all.
So, a smile as bright as sunshine on her face, she checked the address one last time and beamed at Parker. Parker, whom she'd dragged out against his will, likely against his better judgment, for a day of fun. Parker, the one person in the world she thought needed more cheering up than herself at the moment, and so he had the dubious honor of being her "date" to the party.
"Date" because they were not dating, but were merely accompanying one another. To a birthday party. For pizza and fun.
But it wasn't a date.
Regardless, her hand sought his good arm, slipped carefully around the curve of his elbow as she urged him in. She looked a little ridiculous with a present bag dangling from her cast, all but muscling someone else into the room, but Dani didn't seem to care.
She was there, she was happy, and she cheerfully called out, loud enough for anyone in the immediate vicinity to hear, "Happy birthday!"
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 8:12 pm
Tallulah was just about to step onto the ice when the door to the rink opened and two people stepped in. She saw it out of the corner of the eye and her head whipped around like some sort of intrigued dog. Hair that shade of blue could only mean one person, though she wasn't sure if she recognized Dani's friend.
"Go on ahead," Tallulah encouraged Jaimie. "I've gotta go play hostess."
She turned around without ever having set foot on the ice and clumsily stomped towards the door. "Hey!" she called happily. "Glad you could make it, Dani!" This was such a relief. She'd been really worried there for a while. "Who's your friend?"
She stopped and mincingly shifted her weight from foot to foot. Ice skates were really uncomfortable to walk in.
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 8:46 pm
The last birthday party Parker had been to was in the eighth grade. The girl down the street from him asked him to come. It just him, her, and her old grandmother. Punch was served. Since then, Parker had come to think of birthdays with a foul taste in his mouth. His birthday had never been special; so why should anybody else's? People were born and died all the time. Nothing special about it.
Still, Dani has asked him -- well, told him -- and so here he was.
Parker didn't buy a present. Why would the girl expect it? He didn't know her. She went to Meadowview, and her name was vaguely familiar as one that his roommate, Jaimie, mentioned from time to time. They didn't talk much, but there was enough "I'm going to see [insert name], be back before lights out" to make the name ring a bell. He appraised the dark-haired girl blandly. Nothing too exciting. He managed an ambivalent smile and nodded. "I'm Parker," he said, and then added, "I'm Jaimie's roommate, and Dani's... friend." They were friends, yes? Well, he certainly wouldn't be dragged to some lame party by someone who wasn't his friend.
Of course, he had pointed out to Dani that their casts made them pretty useless on ice skates. Dani had a cast below the elbow, but Parker's extended halfway past his elbow and required a waist belt and metal poles to hold it upright away from his body. He stood out terribly, and it made him even more embarrassed than usual. Having given his introduction, he was happy to shut the hell up and let Dani do all the socializing. Spotting Jaimie near the ice, he offered a short head nod in greeting and then returned to his ambivalent staring.
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 8:16 pm
Giving Parker a briefly exasperated look, Dani nevertheless smiled at him before she turned back to Tallulah, lifting her shoulders toward her friend with an Oh, well, he's a boy, so... kind of look. She was glad Parker had agreed to come, and she was determined to make him have a good time even if it was despite himself, but first things first: the present had to be handed over, of course!
"I'm glad we made it. Sorry we're kind of late." Puffing her cheeks out, Dani debated a moment before looking around. There was a table, so.. "I'll go put the present on the table, okay? You can go skate with - with the totally cute guy out there, who is he?"
Suddenly seeming entirely her age, Dani grinned, lifting her good arm to wave at the boy on the ice. She'd missed the nod that Parker had offered, so wasn't aware that they knew one another at all. It seemed like they were the only ones who'd arrived so far, though, so she figured they ought to all get to know one another.
It was just too bad her stupid arm was broken. She would have loved to go out there and skate. Not only that, she was positive she could've convinced Parker to get out on the ice, too. Oh well, maybe when their arms were healed they'd come back.
Apparently supremely unconcerned by the fact that she was the only one talking, she lowered her voice and asked slyly, "Is he your boyfriend? If so, I completely approve. Oh, geez, I'd better go put this down and then we can head over and talk to you guys while you skate."
The guy out on the ice wasn't her type, exactly, but he was definitely a fine specimen. Her gaze lingered only a moment longer before she looked back to Parker, holding up her bum arm with the present still dangling off it. "Let's go put our gift down, okay?"
Technically, it was her gift, but Dani figured since she'd all but forced him along it was the least she could do.
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 6:55 am
Tallulah blushed visibly at the question. "I'm not sure," she replied, just as quietly. "I don't know if we're calling each other that yet." This wasn't to say she hadn't thought about it, of course. In her mind she'd been thinking of Jaimie as her boyfriend ever since the movie theater. She'd just never heard it vocalized and didn't want to be the first one to say so in case it was a total social gaff.
She lead Dani and the boy - Parker, apparently - over to the gift table, walking backwards and looking over her shoulder every few seconds. "You should come skate, too," she said, almost pleadingly. She had, of course, noticed that they both had broken arms, but this was a skating party and she'd be damned if half the guests didn't even skate. Then what kind of party would it be? A half-skating, half-sitting around awkwardly party, and that just wouldn't do.
"You can rent skates over there," she added, pointing to a kiosk jutting out of the nearer wall. A sign over the windows helpfully read "Rentals"
She was willing to continue this argument as long as it took to get them out on the ice.
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 12:56 pm
Oh god. Girl talk. It wasn't that Parker was so immature that he planned to run away announcing that he needed a cootie shot, but he was young enough to sigh under his breath, eyes flickering back to Jaimie on the ice. However, when Dani pointed out how attractive Jaimie was, Parker's gaze suddenly narrowed. She thought Jaimie was attractive? Did she like Jaimie? When she came to Hillworth to find out where Parker was, was it Jaimie who told her? Did Jaimie hit on her? Did Jaimie make her laugh? Like a chihuahua that'd just sniffed an ant hill, Parker's mind was bouncing against his skull, mouth puckered in to a hard line. He didn't like to think of Dani finding anyone attractive, especially his roommate.
Straightening up, Parker wiggled his broken arm, causing the metal rods to shift in their holders. He felt so conspicuous, and it made him even more miserable. On top of that, Dani thought Jaimie was cute. Great. Parker relaxed a bit to learn that Tallulah and Jaimie had something going on, but if it came down to Jaimie choosing between the two girls, Parker felt as though Dani was the clear victor. Tallulah was cute, but Dani was sort of... beautiful. To him. It was something that Parker had realized he thought the day in the hospital, how beautiful she looked with the light all around her. At first, he wondered if it might just have been the morphine, but when she continued to pester him upon his release, he found himself just as attracted to her as ever. His memories of her visit to see him were sketchy at best, but he remembered telling her a few things that he really wished he hadn't. Parker's big mature plan of action was to play dumb and act like it hadn't happened at all. He could only hope that Dani would follow suit.
Allowing himself to be dragged, Parker trailed along beside Dani, turning awkwardly to avoid taking people out with his massive arm cast. He didn't say anything about her comments about Jaimie, but he certainly seemed a little annoyed. "You shouldn't skate," Parker said to her once they reached the table. He flickered his gaze back to Tallulah. She wanted them to, sure, but Parker didn't think it was safe for Dani to do it. And he knew she was hard-headed enough to insist on it anyway. "You could fall and break your other arm." There was a long line at the rental counter anyway. Parker let himself slide into a booth in the area Tallulah had pointed out, perched just on the edge of the seat. He'd let Dani handle the decision-making for where to put the present.
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 10:42 pm
It was obvious Tallulah wanted them to skate, and though Dani really couldn't see Parker getting out on the ice, especially not with his cast and waist-attachment thingie, she was game. Not only because she loved ice skating, but Tallulah really seemed to want someone else out on the ice, and figured it had to do with the boy. If they weren't technically going steady yet, things could still be in the awkward phase. Though she'd only had one semi-serious boyfriend (because how serious could you be at thirteen?) she understood that the beginning of a relationship was crucial. So, if she could help, she totally would.
She thought the two of them looked good next to each other, so she'd do her best. Flashing Tallulah a smile, she said confidently, "Don't worry, he'll be putty in your hands." before winking and herding Parker off to set the gift down.
As expected, Parker was completely against the idea of skating. He didn't mention his own name, however, just hers; she figured it was because it was totally obvious that he wasn't going to skate. It was kind of cute, in a way, that he seemed to be worried about her - completely unnecessary, but still kind of cute - but then again, it could just be Parker pointing out the obvious. Being Dani, she chose to be pleased, and nudged him lightly with her elbow.
"I'll be fine. I know how to skate, and Tallulah really wants someone else out there. Aren't they like, really a cute prospect for a couple?" Dropping the present off on the table, she eyed the line to the skate rentals and decided that when it died down, she'd head over. So, she plopped herself across from Parker, mindful of her cast as she did so.
Eyes flicking back to the boy on the ice, she watched him a moment longer, then waved to Tallulah to get back out there. "I'll join you guys in bit, okay?"
Then, attention back on Parker, she looked at him consideringly. It was really too bad he didn't want to skate. Being naturally graceful and athletic (except when she was getting her a** kicked by youma, apparently) Dani had nothing to really worry about. She was coordinated and well balanced, so it wasn't likely she was going to fall. Still, she didn't just want to jump out on the ice and leave Parker sitting by himself! That would be totally lame and boring, and he'd probably get really irritated with her.
Propping her chin up in her hand, she raised a brow at him slightly, tapping her sea green nails against her cheek. "I don't want to just leave you here, though. That's really rude, and I wanted you to come along so we could hang out, you know? It's too bad you wouldn't be able to skate."
She sighed a little, then brightened again. "We'll have to come back when we get our casts off. If you don't know how to skate, I'll teach you," she added breezily. "I'm good at it, so it'd be no trouble."
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 4:26 pm
In what Dani would probably consider a miracle and Parker yet another example of how his life was terrible, a bubbly woman in an official looking polo zipped over to the table where Dani and Parker were. "Hey there, skaters!" she said, eyes turned upward into crescents. "I couldn't help but notice we have a few special needs skaters over here." As if to prove her point, she tapped Parker on the cast with a painted nail. "You will be just pleased as punch to learn that we here at the Rink are totally handicap-accessible. And we have one chair ready to be rented out!" She smiled again, and Parker stared blankly up at her.
Parker straightened up, moving his cast away from Crazy Lady. "What does that mean... exactly?" What kind of chair was she trying to offer him?
The woman popped a hand on one hip and winked at him. "A skatin' chair, sillygoose! We have wheelchairs that have been adjusted into skate chairs." Her eyes flickered over to Dani, eyes dropping to her cast. "All skaters skate at their own risk, but we only have one chair. Maybe you two kids could sit in each other's laps!" Laughing in a high, trilling arc, the woman touched at her throat and then stared hard at the two of them. "Of course, I'm kidding about that last part. It's in clear violation of rink rules." She laughed again, as if the joke was funny. "I'll just let Eileen over at the rental counter know we have a special needs skater headed her way." Without another word, the bubbly woman disappeared over to the rental counter, full hips swinging from side to side.
Parker didn't say anything. He stared at the rental counter in disbelief, and then back to Dani. "She wants me to use... a wheelchair?" It seemed like some massive joke, and Parker didn't get it. He stared blankly at Dani, unsure of what to say. He definitely had no desire in talking about Tallulah and Jaimie's relationship, but he didn't think being called special needs was really an improvement. And worst of all, Parker felt fairly certain Dani would be way too excited to let him say no to the chair.
The special needs chair.
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 9:55 pm
Dani's attention was actually not very hard to get, and so she found herself sufficiently captivated with the bubbly woman as she explained the way all of them could skate. It sounded like a completely great idea to her, definitely the best way for Parker not to hurt himself and also have a good time, and so she grinned. Grinned, until the woman joked about them sitting in each other's laps.
For one baffling moment, Dani actually considered the possibility. She found herself almost disappointed when she learned it was against the rules, and she had to wonder why. She hadn't sat in anyone's lap since, well, Santa Claus.
Parker did not look like Santa. She also didn't think he would give her something nice if she sat in his lap.
Shooting him a look, she mentally revised that thought. Okay, he would probably give her something nice if she sat in his lap, but that was only because he was male and she was female. And a boy's definition of "something nice" very rarely correlated with a girl's.
She was distracted enough that she forgot to thank the woman when she walked away, but that was all right, because Parker was staring at her. Why, she didn't know, and she found herself fidgeting a bit. Had she made a weird face? She didn't think so. Actually, from the look of it, he was staring at her but not even seeing her, which was kind of annoying.
If a guy was looking at her, she wanted him to at least, you know, be paying attention to the view.
Apparently, he was too preoccupied by the wheelchair comment. His tone had her face falling, disappointment clearly etched in its lines.
"You don't want to?" Maybe it wasn't the end of the world, but it kind of felt like it. She'd thought, for a minute or two, that they could all go skate together. Have fun. You know, the things you were supposed to do at a skating party.
But if Parker didn't want to, she wouldn't force him. Not directly, anyway. She'd make sad faces at him and stare back where he was sitting in disappointment while she skated, sure, but it was ultimately his decision.
Right.
"I mean, you don't have to." She lowered her eyes, bringing her good hand up to trace circles on the tabletop. "I guess it's kind of embarrassing, huh? I wouldn't want to do it."
That much was true. Dani wouldn't get in a wheelchair unless her legs were basically not working. But, you know, it wouldn't be so bad if Parker did it, because he had that waist attachment and people could clearly see it would be Very Bad if he fell on his arm again.
Peeking back up, she gauged his expression, asking a little wistfully, "You really don't want to skate with me?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 5:27 am
The idea of Dani sitting in Parker's lap made him very anxious. Not in a bad way, necessarily, but he had no desire to be affectionate with Dani in public. Or with anyone watching. Or hearing about it. Or, you know, knowing about it at all. It wasn't that he was embarrassed of her -- and it wasn't like they were dating anyway -- but Parker was embarrassed for himself. His entire psyche was built on the foundation that he was a strong individual who did not need others. To openly show affection for another was a weakness displayed for all the world to see, something to be used against him. It was a twisted way to look at the situation, but it was how Parker saw it.
He thought of his eighth grade girlfriend. Her name was Maribelle, and she sat in front of him in Spanish. Language didn't come easily to Parker, but Maribelle was a native speaker and happy to help Parker out whenever he needed. After spending enough time together to constitute a junior high relationship, she became his unofficial girlfriend. It was fine by him. Mari was a good Spanish speaker and relatively easy to get along with outside of the hola and que hora es of their usual conversations. They never really broke the physical boundaries, other than a few tentative handholds in the privacy on Maribelle's living room while watching a movie. It didn't stop the bullying. The same boys that targeted Parker suddenly began to target Maribelle too. They said terrible things about her as they shoved Parker into lockers and down the stairs, and threw mud at him during the mile run. It became too much -- and not just for Parker. Maribelle tearfully broke it off and moved away at the end of the year. Parker lost his first girlfriend, his tutor, and one of his only friends in a matter of moments. The recollection brought a lump to his throat.
Sure, he was older now, and he had gotten much better at dealing with bullies. But when he looked at Dani, part of him was afraid it would turn out just like it had with Maribelle, and with the few other girls who had paid him any mind. He would not only fail to have some kind of relationship with them, but he would lose their friendship too. Dani was a good friend to Parker. She had visited him the hospital when no one else did. Was his attraction to her worth the risk? Parker didn't think so.
Parting his lips, Parker started to reject the chair offer, but then Dani did that terribly cute wounded girl thing. Parker, being Parker, assumed he was above being whittled down by a few adorable blinks or a sweetened tone. Parker, being a teenage boy, crumbled like a sandcastle hit by a tsunami wave. "I'll skate with you," he said, unconscious of the words even as they came out of his mouth. Oh... damn. Almost immediately, he stumbled to retract his offer, if just a little, "But not for too long. It will help you, anyway. You can stay upright by pushing the--" He cringed. "--special chair." That was true too. It would be easier for Dani if she had some kind of walker to steady herself, even if that walker had Parker sitting in it.
Besides, what was a little embarrassment to a boy who lived his life in it?
"I'm used to embarrassment," he said, shrugging. His mouth tingled to spout off a philosophical quote in that moment, but he held it in, eyes flickering away from Dani. Whenever he stared at her too long, it seemed kind of... awkward. Bracing himself for the impact of Dani's excitement, Parker hoped to whatever power there probably wasn't might be that Jaimie would not see Dani react. He really didn't want to hear about it later, how he caved for a girl.
Siiiiiigh.
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