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

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly smirks.

"Did you get a chance to meet Kooshbert junior yet?"

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

Faith stares.

"...OK, Lilly? No. And Susan and Cuthbert are both very, very good friends. Please, I beg you, don't tell me you have."

Beat.

"And please tell me he doesn't call it that."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly cracks up.

"I don't know, maybe he does now. But the Kooshbert junior I'm talking about is the kooshball I gave him after I explained what they were and how I'd come up with his nickname."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"Oh thank god."

Faith laughs sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I just...I've heard the most ridiculous nicknames for...this one guy called it 'my man meat'...I told him if he was honest he should call it 'Tiny Tim.'"

Beat.

"No, I haven't met the Koosh ball."

[awesome_lilly]

"You should," Lilly says brightly. "Koosh seems very attached."

"And oh man, I so know what you're talking about. Guys give their dicks the stupidest names sometimes. Generally, the smaller the dick and the stupider the name, the worse the guys is in bed. It's like he's hoping the really terrible name will distract you from the really terrible sex."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

Faith laughs some more, nodding. "Oh, god, yes. Mind, I never went back to the same person twice before Connor, but I have noticed the trend."

[awesome_lilly]

"It's a disturbing one," Lilly agrees. "I did the occasional one night stand, but normally I had Logan and then flings. I've never done the just one guy thing. Is it cool, or boring?"

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"He's over four hundred and eighty-seven years old, Lilly. 'Boring' is one thing I don't think Connor could ever be."

Faith smiles, wide and warm and remarkably tender, really.

"It's good. He makes it good."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly smiles back, happy for her friend.

"Rock on. I don't see that happening for me any time soon, but that kicks some serious ass that you found someone like that."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"Ahhh, this place has been known to matchmake something fierce," Faith says with a slight grin. "And Peter was awfully upset when you were gone..."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly groans.

"Yeah, caught that. But even if my semi-ex-boyfriend from when I was alive hadn't shown up, there'd be nothing going on with me and Pete. He's a great guy, but he's a one-woman guy and I'm so not a one-man woman. Especially with the being dead and only here till my door changes and all."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"...ah...hah."

Beat.

"Does Pete know that?"

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly bites her lip.

"Kinda?" she offers. "I mean, we sorta talked about it when he told me he... well, how he felt about me. But it was kinda a shocker so I wasn't as clear as I should have been. I'll fix that next time, though."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, that's probably something you ought to clarify."

[awesome_lilly]

"Yeah, I know," Lilly says ruefully. "Man, I never thought death would be this complicated, you ken?"

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"Yar, I kennit."

Faith hangs out with Alain and Cuthbert way too much.

[awesome_lilly]

As does Lilly. She doesn't even bother to ask Faith if she's a pirate.

"Oh well. We'll figure it out. And if not, I have more important things to worry about. Why I made orange syrup when I knew no one would use it, for one thing."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"Yeah."

Beat, for a second.

"You know about Tonks, yeah? We're going after her tomorrow."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly looks up, meets Faith's eyes.

"Good," she says quietly. "I'd go with you in a heartbeat if I thought I'd be more helpful than in the way. As it is, I'll just be happy knowing you're going to kick all the ass necessary to get her back."

She pauses.

"Is... is Bernard going with you?"

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

Faith shakes her head. "I don't think so. He can't leave."

Beat.

"The gunslingers might be. I'm not sure."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly nods.

"I hope they do. I mean, the more the better, right?"

Pause.

"I'll stay with Bernard while you're gone. It's going to rip him up that he can't be with you, he shouldn't be alone."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"Up to a point, until it gets where you're tripping over each other...but with Alain and Cuthbert, yeah, that'd be good."

Faith smiles, faintly. "Thanks, Lilly. You're right, he shouldn't be."

[awesome_lilly]

"Oh, no need to thank me, hanging out with the seriously upset is kinda a specialty," Lilly replies flippantly. "It'll be a nice change for them to be able to see me, though."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"That's right, you were all ghosty in your world. How'd that go for you?"

[awesome_lilly]

"Sucked unbelievable amounts of ass," Lilly replies cheerfully. "I spent a year and a half ghosting around my hometown and friends and family and no one could see me and I thought I'd be doing it forever. Definitely not the most fun I've ever had."