Alain's birthday

[key-youth-bert.livejournal.com]

It's almost sunset, and the preparations are almost finished.

Cuthbert, Lilly, and the waitrats they've roped into helping out have set up tables with food out by the lake. On one of them, there's a small CD player currently playing The Beatles.

A few games are set up in the surrounding area--the kind you'd find at any country fair or picnic--but on the whole, there's nothing elaborate.

All that's needed now is for people to show up.


[Summary: Alain has a birthday party. Roland, Cuthbert, Susan, Lilly, Faith, Ace, Meg, and Gavroche attend. There are snow cones and lovely presents and a general mood of "there's doom all around, so let's make this one thing tonight happy and fun".]

Comments

[key-youth-bert.livejournal.com]

Cuthbert leans against one of the tables, arms folded, surveying the last of the preperations.

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Alain steps through the door from the staff wing, and makes his way over.

[key-youth-bert.livejournal.com]

Cuthbert nods to him, with a brief smile.

"Happy Birthday."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly's setting up the last of the machines she'd gotten from bar before everything went to hell this week. She drags a cooler of ice to the table by the machines and she's done... for now.

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

They're very bright machines. Also inexplicable.

They get a dubious look, not unmixed with amusement.

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly has decided that tonight at the party, no matter what the hell is going on elsewhere, there will be no woe. So the smile she turns on Alain is pretty bright as Lilly-smiles go.

"What up, sai? Happy birthday!"

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

Faith sees the machines, from a distance, and walks up to them, slowly, wide-eyed. When she speaks, her voice is hushed, almost awed.

"...Snoopy. Snow Cones. Oh. My. God."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly beams at her.

"Faith! Finally someone who understands the level of awesome we've got going on here."

[sai_delgado]

Susan smiles at her as she approaches, and it's bright and real.

"Goodeven, Lilly."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly's smile is just as bright and genuine in return.

"What up, sai? It's good to see you, Susan. Want a sno cone?"

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

Faith's a little quieter than usual tonight, and there aren't a lot of people she'd come out of her room for, the night before a rescue.

Alain is one of the few.

She's smiling, even, when she walks up to him, handing him a box (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/crazedcrusader/AlainGift.jpg), simply wrapped. "Hey. Happy birthday."

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

He returns the smile, as he takes the box. "Hey. Thankee, Faith."

He holds the box for a moment, debating whether he should set it aside on a table or open it now.

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"Welcome."

She hugs him briefly, and kisses his cheek, then releases him. "You're, what? 12? 13?"

Smiiiirk.

[street-sparrow.livejournal.com]

Gavroche is there, seemingly fully recovered from the Hellfly incident. He grins at Alain. "Happy birthday!"

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Alain grins down at him. "Say thankya."

[nitro-is-ace.livejournal.com]

There's an Ace, looking a good deal less like she got runover by a dump truck, and a good deal more alive. It's amazing what a few hours worth of catnap will do. Despite the doom quotient in the bar, she looks positively gleeful. She does so love celebrating other people's birthdays.

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Alain eyes the glee only a little warily, and grins at her. "Long days and pleasant nights, Ace."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly comes up to her, grinning.

"What up, sai? Can I offer you a refreshment?"

[lastgunslinger]

Roland is there, looking tired, but smiling all the same.

Smiling a little, anyhow.

He's got a glass of lemonade, and is sitting on top of a picnic table, feet resting on the seat.

There's a small box wrapped in blue paper sitting next to him.

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly comes over to the table, smiling.

"What up, sai? Want a Snoopy sno cone?"

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

A little's enough, from Roland. Especially given... everything.

Alain returns it, as he takes a seat on the table beside him.

[balletrat]

A birthday? And no one's told me? *Meg demands, heading over with a smile.*

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Alain grins, and does not really look apologetic.

Then again, he didn't actually tell anyone, so.

"Hello, Meg."

[sai_delgado]

And Susan is there, and smiling brightly and hopefully.

She may have come to the same decision as Lilly, during the course of a very long day-- but ye'd never know there were trouble anywhere, to see her now.

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

He smiles at her -- also unshadowed, because sometimes there are celebrations you set your cares aside for -- and holds out his hands in greeting.